A Comedy of Letters
by Some Scribbles
Summary: Strange things can happen after a game of online poker. When the top two players start emailing, what will happen when circumstances force them to unknowingly meet? Is that love in the ink? ROMY. Chpt 31: Waiting for the Tape to Change.
1. Betrayal's a bitch

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. I am not making any profit in writing this. Except in reviews, which build up my desire to write.

AN: What? Is she actually writing something that takes place in the actual Evolution Timeline? No way...Yup, takes place shortly after Rogue joins the X-Men.

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Dear Remy, 

Times like this, I don't even know what to write. Things have been…hard since I ran away from home. Turns out betrayal is a clingy bitch. Damn thing won't let go of my heal. The person who took me in after I left home…turns out she was lying to me the whole time. Do I have a "Use me" sign tattooed to my forehead or something? Oh wait, no use asking you. Never mind, I'm asking you anyway--do I seem exceptionally stupid or naïve to you? Is there a way I can fix this so that it doesn't happen again?

Because a gal's gotta live somewhere. I know I can't just cut myself off from everyone, but sometimes it's really hard to know who to trust. Which is probably why I'm telling you this. I'll never meet you, I have no idea if you're some old fart potato chip eater who only plays poker online because he's too fat to fit through the doorframe of his house (no offense if that's the case) or if you're some snarky eight year old kid. And if _that's _the case I fear for the future. 'cause you've got the dirtiest mind of any eight year old I've ever met. There's an incredible comfort in baring your heart to a stranger. Well, essentially a stranger. You're like a journal that talks back, Remy.

I don't know if that came out as nice as I meant it to, but it was a good thing, trust me.

So you can look forward to seeing me online a lot more now. Internet access where I was living before wasn't so hot. The boarding school where I'm staying at now is totally hooked up. And that's not the only up side. Remember King Henry? Yeah, he stays here too. No, that's not why I decided to move in. Mind out of the gutter! But it's a definite bonus. He's one of the only people to just be…kind to me since this whole crazy ride started.

On the downside…I'm still living in a house full of other people. I have a roommate. Kitty. Allow me to demonstrate Kitty: "I'm so like totally, _psyched_ to have a roommate. We'll _totally_ have to like, stay up all night talking. What do you, like, mean you don't like N'sync? Boy bands are totally NOT of the devil. How can you, like, say that? Yeah, I'll just bet you like, like listening to garbage." Do you hear that sound? That's me…banging my head repeatedly against the wall.

I know you're laughing right now. Laugh it up. I'm gonna wipe the floor with you next Thursday.

Ugh, I hear them calling me for dinner. Not that I'm not hungry, but dinner is a war zone. If you don't hear back from me, it's because I was pelted to death by exploding peas. Or because they don't allow internet access from prison. You know, whatever.

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

No one who plays poker like you can be exceptionally stupid or naïve. It takes skill to read people like you do--especially over the computer. You just need to learn to apply that skill to every situation of real life. It's hard being on guard all the time. But it's worth it. Start practicing by setting aside an hour each day where you question everything, observe everything, never forget to look for tells. Then start stretching the time. Soon it will be second nature. You've got the skills--use them.

And trust me when Remy says he is definitely _not_ some fifty year old potato chip eater. And you know you love my dirty mind. ;) 'Bout time you were able to come online more. There's no challenge at all without you at the table. 'Course, I don't think you'd be able to hold a candle to me if we played an actual game. You're good, _chere,_ but ain't nobody can spot a tell like me. _Mais,_ Lady Luck, she loves me.

Things are starting to heat up here at home. Don't know how much longer I'm gonna be able to stay. You ever wonder why I never gave you crap for running away? It's because I'm thinking of doing the same thing. There's gotta be some better way than this. _Mon pere_ is using me as a bargaining chip in some of his more intense negotiations, and the consequences ain't pretty. _Mais_, maybe they're pretty, but they're just not for me.

'Sides, I've been offered a job. Been working for my family for so long, it'd be nice to see what I can do without any ties. Even when I do independent work, I always know that my family's there, waiting for me if I need anything. 'Course, they'd never let me forget it if I called them in for help. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't help. _Mais,_ with this job, it'd be something I'd have to do on my own or fail on my own. The challenge is intriguing. And did I mention that I wanted to get the hell out of here before they talk me into agreeing with their crazy plan? 'cause I think I did…maybe forty or fifty times. Or was that all in my head…

Your roommate sounds like a real trip. But I think that you'll probably manage to have some fun with her. I can just see the 'battle of the bands' now. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. ;)

And I'll talk back to you any time, _chere_. One day, I hope to show you just how good I am with my tongue.

_à bientôt _,

Remy

* * *

I know. I'm a bad, bad person. I owe you the first chapter of Stolen Hearts. (It's mostly done, too! That Remy is just being real slippery. I can't seem to pin down his character.) I owe you chapter 12 of Shall We Dance. I shouldn't be writing this. It's wrong. The fact that I have another separate random story idea is wrong too. Wrong, wrong, wrong! But the stupid plot bubbles won't leave me alone! I know, maybe if I fortified myself with an army of bunnies on crack, flame throwing squirrels, and zombie chickens… 

Well, what did you think? Good times? Push that lovely little button down there and let me know if I should continue!


	2. Life is a game

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any form of X-Men

Written after Spykecam

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Dear Remy, 

First of all, let me say: Eww! How do I know you're not some crazy old maid with forty-three cats and white hair tied back in a face stretching bun who only plays poker because she's agoraphobic? Like I want anything to do with your tongue!

Oh dear God, did I just type 'like?' Excuse me while I go wash my brain out with bleach.

So the guys that I used to stay with are totally miffed at me. Do I care? Oddly enough--sorta. My leaving had nothing to do with them. I wish that they could see that. But if they can't, it's not like I'm going back.

Though sometimes I wish I was LIKE anywhere but here.

Evan, one of the guys in the boarding house, just got a camcorder. He's been following everyone around driving us nuts. Or nuts-er. You know, whatever. In order to get him to agree to _not_ follow us around, taking random footage, Kitty and I agreed to let him tape us dancing. You know, she's not that bad when she's not talking. She even agreed to help me out with my moves. It's not like I did a lot of dancing back home, ya know. Anyway, we were in the woods minding our own business when the biggest, ugliest, stupidest bully in the world came along. Now that I think about it, it was kinda hilarious… Yeah, he ended up with his butt kicked. I'll admit it was sort of touch and go for a minute, but we had reinforcements.

What I _will_ say though, is that if hanging out with these guys keeps giving me an excuse to get into scraps. And, you know, I kind of like that. They've got an _awesome_ gym at this school, with an incredible self-defense instructor. But if you ever tell Logan I said that, I swear I'll rip that famous tongue of yours right out of your mouth.

I've tried that hour thing you suggested. It's harder than I thought. So far I've not been able to make it past the half hour mark. Somehow, it's easier with cards. It's easier knowing that it's just a game.

Speaking of, told you I'd kick your butt on Thursday.

Tell you what, I'm red hot! You are _so_ going down again next weekend.

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

What sort of naughty things are you planning on doing with Remy's tongue? I can assure you, you'll enjoy them so much more if it stays fully attached. And how do I know that _you're_ not some crazy old maid with forty-three cats and white hair tied back in a face stretching bun who only plays poker because she's agoraphobic?

I just got back from a successful job. I have to say, I'm pretty damn pleased with myself. I bet there aren't half a dozen people in the world who could have pulled it off as well. What can I say, _chere,_ I've got _finesse._

I'm glad you're working on applying your skills.

The thing you've got to remember, _chere_, is that life _is _a game. And every relationship is a gamble. It's all about how much you're willing to risk. The people around you--they're your opponents, your suckers, you're just waiting to make the right move. And they see you the same way. There are some people, some very few _rare_ people (like me ;)) where this isn't so. But you can't trust anyone, Anna. Never completely. Always keep your eyes opened and keep an ace up your sleeve. It's all a game, _chere._ You're just playing to keep yourself from getting hurt. Keep it that way. And don't give me crap about how cynical this is--you've said it yourself. Betrayal's a bitch. Watch your back.

Next thing I know, you're gonna wanna know why you can trust me. _Mais,_ the day you ask that, I will be so proud! (sniffs)

The only reason you can trust me, _chere_, is because I want nothing from you. I want nothing but to continue to want nothing from you. It's nice to have an acquaintance, middle-aged overweight female body builder or not, who I only have to play online, with no connections and no consequences.

I don't know if I'll be able to make it to the tournament this weekend. It looks like I may be overseas for a little while, and I'm not sure of my schedule. If I'm not there and you win, don't get too cocky. There's only room for one arrogant know-it-all in this relationship. I'll steal that title from you so fast when I get back, it'll be gathering dust on my mantle before you even know it's gone.

Yes, I'm just _that_ good. ;)

Remy

* * *

AN: So, this is fun. And right now it's so easy to write! I may even update again today! In case you guys don't remember, Evan, Kitty, and Rogue set an ambush for Sabertooth that turned out with them being in trouble until Logan came and Rogue touched Sabey--so things really were _touch_ and go. It's gonna be interesting, writing around the situations in their lives. They can be themselves, just not reveal any of the details. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it, review and let me know what you think! 

Review Responses:

Ish:  
What do you mean you haven't updated in over a month, leaving us hanging with Carol in Rogue's body and all that? I've been trying to block out the fact that I don't know what happens next! (Attempts to forget the fact that she's anxiously waiting for the next chapter...what do you mean? I'm not GUILTING you! How could you say such a thing! ;0)) Yeah, I can't wait to get them to the point where they'll meet...I'm probably gonna try to speed it along as much as I can, but unfortunately their first encounter is at the end of the second season...so we'll just have to wait and see!  
Elle457:  
Thank you very much for your encouragement! I hope you continue to enjoy it.  
Eileen B:  
LOL! I appreciate your acting for my benefit. It shows great...empathy on your part. ;0) Man, you ask all the good questions! I can't answer some of them, but yes, I'm hoping to pull off the fact that they won't recognize each other initially because they're going by 'real' names. And they were smart enough not to use their other names as online aliases. It's a stretch, but hey, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to. Glad you liked that 'love in the ink' line, I thought it was fun. Oh, Shop Around the Corner! I've been wanting to see that for AGES but I just couldn't find it. I'll have to hunt it down...  
BLISSFULLY-JADED73:  
Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy it!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme:  
Hey, great name! It sounds like a line from a poem or a song. I like it a lot. Hope you enjoyed Rogue's reaction. Can't wait to see what you think!  
Rogueyroo:  
LOL, I'll work on that. He's slippery because I'm having a hard time pinning down his motivations and reactions. I know what I WANT him to do, but I'm not sure if it's how he'd do it. He's fighting me on it. I want him to be a bit..less nice..than I've previously written him. And the Remy in my head doesn't like that. But, like I said, I'll work on that. Hope you enjoy what gets updated.  
bored247:  
Hey, thanks a lot:0) Hope you continue to enjoy!  
Cat:  
Your review made me grin! You're right, I shouldn't look to you for sympathy about plot bubbles. How's "Opps" coming along? Enjoy my abnormally-fast-update!


	3. Survival of the fittest

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the X-Men.

Set shortly after "Survival"

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Dear Remy, 

You're sick, did you know that? I really, really don't want to know what goes on in your mind. You're just--wow--I mean for an illegal immigrant snatching online poker time from the public library, you've got just about the _filthiest_ mind in creation. Seriously, I think you should consider seeing a doctor.

Turns out I missed this weekend's tournament too. The boarding school where I'm staying in decided it was time for some _togetherness_. As if living with them 24-7 isn't being _together_ enough. So off we went Walking in a Wilderness Wonderland. I'm not sure if I can adequately express my enthusiasm. I don't think I'll try. I wouldn't want to strain myself in the attempt.

Allow me to attempt to describe the wonders of this trip. Mosquitoes the size of small helicopters. Boys who think it's fun to prank girls by putting spiders and lizards in their sleeping bags. Being awoken by said girls screaming. Being watched with slight awe as you hunt down and squish every single one of the eight-legged-blood-sucking-monstrosities and escort the lizards out by the tail. Return pranking the boys by moving their clothes onto red ant hills and introducing them to the wonders of cold mountain water while using the latrine. (Actually, I kind of enjoyed those last two things. I wanted to trick them into falling _into_ the latrine, but then Kitty reminded me that we'd have to smell them and what with the ants, they didn't really have anything to change into. Not bad foresight for a valley girl.) Sleeping on a root. Being woken up before dawn for more physical fitness. Eating squirrel. Heh, at least I knew enough to pack some cayenne pepper. That stuff will disguise the taste of practically _any_ meat, no matter how foul. (Smirk.)

And in the meantime, I was treated to the equally _wonderful_ sight of watching an obvious Scott fawn over an oblivious Jean. Have I not mentioned Jean before? Sigh. Well, let me be fair--she's beautiful. And popular. And sociable. And athletic. And _sweet_. And responsible. _And I can't stand her_. I hate it when people don't realize how good they've got it. Right now she's with this total stereotypical football player. I'd be surprised if he can see past his jock strap. The boy's a buffoon. And she could have _Scott_. She's letting all of this slip right through her fingers…she doesn't know what she has.

Not only that, but Scott was chosen as team leader for our little outings. Fun things like obstacle courses and this lovely little exercise called "Mt. Humiliation." (rolls eyes). And the whole time, everything we did, we were actually _followed_ by a bunch of moronic miscreant misfits. (I'm on an alliteration kick, can you tell?) No, seriously. They got all into the "competition" and began attempting to raise hell. I swear, something's in the water up here. I think I'll have to continue my healthy diet of Doctor Pepper. And peach Snapple Iced Tea. That has water in it, right?

I hope you had more fun this weekend than I did. Then again, if you weren't getting hot iron splinters shoved up your fingernails, the chances are that comparably you had a ball!

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

I'm still overseas, but I should be on for a late night poker game Wednesday night. _Mais,_ it will be late for _me._ If you're on the east coast, I'm about six hours ahead of you. But I can't let you have all the fun, now can I?

Be still my beating heart--_mon chere _likes cayenne pepper? _Merde,_ girl! If we ever get together and play a real game, I will have to make you some of my gumbo. It'll make your mouth water. And your eyes. You'll swear you've never tasted anything so good and _hot_.

So far, I'm working too hard to have much fun. You'd be surprised at how much preparatory effort goes into pulling off a flawless job. Not that I don't love it. The anticipation's always half the fun. And…let's just say…well, I love the challenge.

Anna, Anna, Anna! Remind me never to get on your bad side! Trick the boys to fall into the outhouses? That's harsh, Anna, real harsh. I'm so proud. The clothes in the ants hill was an especially nice touch. You'll have to let me know if any of the boys are stupid enough to attempt retaliation. I know my cousins and I, we would have looked on the hit as a challenge. Ah, to be young and stupid again. What a relief. Now I know there are _much_ better ways to get a _fille's_ attention.

Can I tell you a secret, _chere_? I'm afraid of spiders. I have this compulsive need to kill them any time I see them…it's either that or run away screaming.

This Jean girl sounds like a real girl-next-door type. Bet she doesn't hold a candle to you. Remind me again why you like Scott? You don't seem the type to fall for a guy too timid to make a move on the girl he wants.

_Mais, chere,_ if you ain't a three hundred pound bald animal trainer who only plays poker because she's afraid to go outside and get sunburned on her scalp, I'm sure I can help you with your little crush. Remy could teach ya how to get the _homme _wrapped around your pinky finger in a week. Less, if you're passing pretty. All you need to do is ask. ;)

Dr. Pepper, huh? Me, I prefer bourbon. Peach iced tea is a great chaser for a Jack Daniels, though.

See ya Wednesday. Looking forward to the game.

Remy

PS--see, look how well behaved I was in this letter! Besides, I really don't think seeing a doctor would help, _chere_. I've been practicing for years. ;)

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AN: Well, that was fun. Hope you enjoyed my stretch of the episode. Yes, to answer a very good question, I'm planning on keeping this in letter format until they meet. 

Review Responses: Please excuse my lack of personal responses to each review. It's 2:17 now, and I should really be in bed. I just wanted to get this up "today" for some random reason... Special thanks to ishandahalf, bored247, toxictouch727, punkrogue, sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme, and Seductress Librarian for reviewing! I'll get y'all double next time!

Reviews make me want to write more--if you want to read more, please review!  
:0)


	4. Some bonding and some brooding

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any form of X-men. I do not speak French. I am recommending a book below that I have not written. AND I WROTE THIS STUFF ANYWAY! So there! (mutters) Stupid disclaimer...

Written place shortly after Shadowed Past.

* * *

Dear Remy, 

I can not _believe _that you had the Ace of Clubs in the hole. If I didn't know it was impossible, I would swear that you cheated. If we ever do play a game in real life, you're playing shirtless.

And thanks for the generous offer, Remy. (Rolls eyes) But I don't believe in throwing myself at guys. If they don't see something worth pursuing in me, then they're not worth my time. Besides, it's a little more complicated than that. I do live with these people, after all. And I don't have any other place to go. I've got it pretty good here, three square meals a day, a comfy bed, people who…well…annoy me, but who also really seem to _care_. I'm still getting used to that…and…I think…well, I think some of them could really use me around.

There's this kid, Kurt. He was one of the Incredibly Brilliant Pranksters from the Wonderful Wilderness Wonderland. He's adopted, like me. He just went through some real hard stuff finding out some real disturbing information about his birth mother. A few other kids here have been adopted, like Scott, but he's an orphan. He doesn't understand what it's like to have that aching feeling of abandonment in you whenever you think about your folks. He can't relate to that sort of sickened hope and disgust that you have for them--hope that whatever it was that made them leave you, that it wasn't your fault--disgust that they left you in the first place. That feeling of wanting and hating at the same time. I can relate to that. And somehow, even though I never talk about it with any of them, Kurt knew that.

He came to me after all this crap with his mom. He thinks that the guy who runs the school isn't telling him everything about his mom. He's probably right. But from what I was able to see about his mom, Kurt's better off without her. Much better off. But I can also relate to the need to know the answers to your past, to what went on around you, to why you are the way you are. So I told him we'd find out the answers together. And you can be damn sure I'll take any advantage and opportunity I have to do it.

Why do I like Scott? Well, he's cute. And sweet. Kind of straight-laced (OK, so he's a regular boy-scout. But it's cute.), but he's just waiting to be coaxed over to the wild side. He's actually genuinely concerned for the other kids, he really tries to look out for them. He really tries to set a good example--you know, walk the talk--and be there for the kids--when he's not drooling over his red convertible, that is. And…he was there for me when I needed it.

I'm glad that you're having fun prepping for your job. It's nice to see a man who loves his work. ;)

I can't believe you're afraid of spiders. At least you realize that you're bigger than they are. Ah-ha! That must be why you play so much online poker! You're really a weasely little old man who's too scared of spiders to risk the great outdoors! And whenever you're not playing poker you're obsessively vacuuming the dark corners of your home.

Later,

Anna

PS. You are incorrigible.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Play shirtless? _Mais oui_, _chere_, I'll be happy to oblige as long as you do as well. ;)

Besides, I don't need to cheat at cards. I told you, I'm just that good.

On the other hand, I'm having a wonderful time. _Belles femmes, bonne nourriture, abondance à boire_…(1) What more could _un homme_ ask for? Yes, there are definitely worse places to work.

I'm not surprised that you didn't take me up on my offer. You seem like you'd want to handle relationships your own way. It's interesting to me that you refuse to change--or even seem to change--who you are in order to get what you want. That takes a strong person. Perhaps you just haven't run into something you've wanted badly enough yet?

I have to say, I'm not that impressed with Scotty-boy. I'm glad he was there when you needed him, _chere_, _mais_ a boy-scout? Just how straight-laced are we talking here? Can you name a single time when _l'homme _has cut loose? Still, I trust your judgment. _Mais_, a red convertible? You're breaking my heart, _chere_, I took you for a Harley girl. Tell me at least that it goes fast--and that it's dark red, none of that cherry-with-white-stripes bubble gum colors. But like I said, if you want him he can't be that bad.

You're adopted too, _chere_? Well the world just be full of us abandoned kids, _non_? That's part of the reason why I feel like I owe _mon pere_ so much. He didn't have to take me in, make me his own son, but he did. And he never rubbed it in my face either. It was just like I had always been there. I owe him so much. I would do almost anything for him.

I'm glad that it seems that you're finding a place to belong in the boarding school. _Mais,_ don't forget what I told you. You should have worked up at least to an hour by now, _chere_, how's it coming?

It's not nice to make fun of a man's secrets, _chere_. What are you, some failed psychologist who violated his patient/client confidentiality so now you stay inside all day and play poker? Bet you have beer belly from drinking all your time away.

I should finish up my job here sometime in the next week. Most of the ground work is all set. Now--to decide--who do I take out for dinner? The redhead, the blonde, the brunnette…

_Mais, _don't look to me for relationship advice, _chere. Les filles _know what they're getting--a good time--but it ain't never serious. I don't do relationships.

You're talkin' to the king of hearts, _chere_. I collect 'em, but no _fille's_ ever had her hand on mine.

_Merde, _I don't know why I'm telling you this.

It'll be the brunette. I like brunettes.

Until the next game, try not to take it so hard. I told you, I'm the best. But you're a worthy challenge, Anna, and I look forward to playing you again.

Remy

* * *

Translation: Beautiful women, good food, plenty to drink… 

AN: And--here we go! Playing off the whole 'Rogue gets flashes of Mystique throwing Kurt off a waterfall' theme. What she can and can't say. Do you know how hard it was for me to figure out _any _reason _at all _for Rogue to like Scott? Really, what were the writers thinking? And Remy--well, poor boy's a bit melancholy. He's two steps away from letting his father trade him in exchange for peace for the guilds--by official engagement to Bella Donna. He doesn't love her. Thus his little rant at the end. He doesn't see any way out though--so he's a bit depressed. But he's trying real hard to play it off--I wonder if it fooled Rogue?

Hey, if anybody reading this just flat out enjoys reading a story in letter format, check out Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. It's really quite fun, and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

Review Responses: I'm glad you guys are enjoy this! Go ahead and push that lil' button and let me know what you thought of this one! Please?

Ishandahalf: You're right, everyone DOES sound smarter in letters…Glad you're enjoying the wit. I'm having a lot of fun with this as you can tell by my ridiculously quick updates…can't expect that to last long, so I'm enjoying it…hope you do too! And go rest those feet:0)  
Dragonwitch66: I'm glad you're enjoying the letter form! It's really fun to write this way. Hope you don't get bored of it. Enjoy!  
Dannonspring: Glad you love it. Sadly, they can't 'meet' until the Day of Reckoning. And even then, will they know who they met? Can't really do longer chaps, (at least until they meet, then who knows?) but I hope the quick updates will make up for it.  
Cat: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even realized I had killed a squirrel until…well…you said it. It just sort of popped out. Sorry Ralph! Your comrade died for a good cause! I'm glad you liked the tongue-rip-out line. I thought it was fun. I _think_ agoraphobic means 'fear of outdoors' (looks up word) Yup! Though I get freaked out in crowds too. And dude, you're safe from TMITPWC--cause it wasn't that kind of doctor. I don't hate Jean. (Don't hurt me!) :) But I don't particularily like her either--she's gonna get a harder time in this fic than she will (eventually...you know...when I write it) in Stolen Hearts. Well, good luck finding your MEV--hope you hunt her down SOON 'cause I wanna read that fic.  
Punkrogue :Don't worry, I'll be writing in Shall We Dance too. I've already got a good idea how the next chapter's gonna go.  
toxic-touch: Enjoy!  
Sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: go you for getting the reference!  
Seductress-Librarian: Glad you enjoyed. Thanks:)  
Deaira: Really? Wow! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! Remy's pulling a job in France. He can't tell Rogue because--let's face it--he doesn't really know who she is and can't risk it. I haven't decided yet if it's gonna be the Cheating Star delima…probably not, I think he's got enough stress in his life right now. Heh, I am SO looking forward to posting how they meet. I've already got it written. Hope you continue to enjoy!  
Wildcardrose: Thanks much! It's pretty straight-forward compared to _your _stories (which are amazingly intricate), but I'm so glad that you read and enjoyed! I'm having fun with it, anyway! Hope you do too!  
Guarded Secrets: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hope you continue to! (And reading your review was what prompted my little recommendation on the top. Really, it's a great book, I recommend it.)  
Bored247: your reviews make me smile. I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Glad you appreciated Rogue's Revenge--I'm not a prankster by nature, so it actually took some effort:)


	5. And I am a Harley girl

**Disclaimer**: Repeat after me: I do not own X-Men Evolution.  
Reader: After me  
Me: Smart Alec

Written place shortly after Grim Reminder

* * *

Dear Remy, 

I don't know whether to yell at you or laugh at you. I'm so glad to have your approval in my love life. (rolls eyes) I'll never understand what it is with guys--they can go out and do whatever the heck they want, with whomever they want, and they only give each other slaps on the back. But when it comes to their sister or their friend, they get all protective and flip out if the gal so much as kisses the guy (who might be a good drinking buddy but is _in no way_ good enough for her…for some reason) in front of them. And heaven help the poor bastard if he looks at her in a way that is unapproved. The same man who's grinning like an idiot and willing to share all the locker-room humor in the world will start threatening to cut off important pieces of the boyfriend's anatomy. Boys are weird.

Though…Scott's car…well, it _is _cherry red with white stripes.

And…look, I was getting all set to go off on a rant about my right to make my own choices (it probably wouldn't have been completely directed at you. Ain't ya glad ya skipped that one?) when something you said at the end of your letter really grabbed my attention. I've been staring at the computer screen for ten minutes trying to think of a way to say this tactfully--but hell, I don't do tact. Let me give it to you straight: people who play with other peoples' hearts are scum. And you're not scum. So I don't understand why you're doing what you're doing. It's obvious that you feel bad about it. Why do you do it? Does it have something to do with why your heart is untouchable?

I'll understand if you don't want to tell me, or talk about it anymore. I'll understand if you don't want to talk to _me_ anymore, too. All I'm saying is--you deserve more. You deserve better.

But…just so you know…I can relate to being untouchable more than I can say. I know how it can drive you…away. From everyone around you, even from yourself. Believe me, I understand that.

I'm not going to end this letter like this. Like I said, if you don't want to talk to me again, I'll understand. But, like you said, I don't change for anybody. You talk with me, you're gonna get honesty.

You have been warned. :)

On a completely different note: this weekend Kurt and Kitty snuck off and followed Logan while he was on one of his wild-man get-aways. Not their brightest moment, but--as this guy I know would say: _Mais_, I was so proud!

Speaking of your speaking--I don't think you realize the utter pointlessness of you writing to me in French. I just have to open up another window and go to Babelfish and suddenly I'm all knowing. Why do it at all?

Ah-ha! You're not really American at all, are you? You're really some French museum curator who only likes to _pretend_ that he knows how to play poker in his spare time. Tell me, do you have a secret collection of smelly cheese?

Hope that your job's going well. And no, I'm not going to whine about losing on Wednesday. I _knew_ that you were buying the pot, had a gut feeling that you had the better hand (not hard considering my pathetic three of a kind), but I was too damn stubborn to give it to you. Next time, I'll pay better attention. You better watch yourself, I will sweep your lead right out from under you! (grin)

And I am a Harley girl.

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Well, I'll tell you true: you never cease to surprise me. It's one of your best qualities on the table, and it's one of the reasons why I enjoy talking with you. I've never known anyone so brazenly honest before. And I'm not just talking about you admitting how stupid you were to go all in on that last hand.

It'll take more than this to get me to stop talking to you, _chere._ But I won't go into it anymore except to say that it has something to do with how I said that life was a game.

Speaking of games, I couldn't help but notice that you dodged the question about practicing your observation. I'm telling you to do this because I want you to be safe, Anna. It's part of that guy thing that you mentioned. That, and I have an instinct to keep valuable things safe. Most guys do, I guess--we know what asses we can be and so we want to protect the ones we actually give a damn about. Speaking in generalities, of course.

Scotty-boy has a bubble gum car. (Shakes head sadly) I worry about you, _chere_. Don't recall you mentioning if it's fast. Is it a _show_ car, _chere_? You sure this is what you want? How's the boy gonna give you a proper ride?

Sigh, just the thought of it makes me miss my baby. I finished restoring a Mongoose last year. If we ever meet, and you're especially nice to me, _maybe_ I could be talked into giving you a ride.

You know, until you admitted it was your 'damn stubbornness' that had you losing the game, I had come up with a whole new theory which explained away your unnatural poker obsession. You're really a trucker covered from head to toe in tattoos who just got back from a cross-country trip, and the only thing that keeps you sane is sneaking into hotel lobbies and stealing internet time to play poker.

But since you've admitted it's just 'cause you're stubborn as sin, I'll have to come up with another explanation. Too bad. The thought of tattoos all over is kind of a turn-on. ;) (Kidding, _chere_, kidding.)

And I can't help but write to you in French. It's like a second language to me. It just comes out, I can't stop it. _Mais, chere_, it's good for you. French is the language of love, _non_? You should be practicing for when we meet for that topless poker game. ;) (Not really kidding…hey, it was your suggestion!)

The job was another unqualified success. Speaking of which…there's no need for me to fly directly back home. If you want, I could fly to wherever you are and we could meet up. What do you say?

And, _chere,_ no matter what, know this: you are worth talking to. If Scott's too stupid to see that, _mais,_ what's to be expected from a bubble gum car boy-scout?

Game on Thursday. Looking forward to seeing try, _chere_, looking forward to seeing you try.

Remy

* * *

AN: Grim Reminder is all about Logan's past and Kitty accepting the fact that the Institute is a noisy nuthouse. Not much to work with there. Romy's more interesting. If you noticed that Remy was kind of pushing the innuendo in this one--and that it was a little more awkward than normal--there's a reason for that. He accidentally revealed way more of himself than he intended on the last letter, and Anna's response to him stung and intrigued him. He's trying desperately to get some space. And he's just as much intrigued about her withdrawal after her honesty as he is with what she said. Hmm...wonder where _that_ could lead? The crack about smelly cheese was inspired from a remnent of a Hey Arnold episode I saw once. 

Review responses: Wow, look at all the reviews! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this! It's really encouraging.

Ish: Yeah, Remy's spider phobia is fun…and partially based off of a friend of mine who is one of the toughest guys I know, but is literally _petrified _of spiders. (It's also me looking to the future, regarding a certain weird shaped guardian thing.) Glad you enjoyed that. Yeah, you know--it really IS easier to talk to someone when you don't have any connection to them, sorta. I mean, you're aware that they could be lying and they're aware that you could be lying, (partially why I'm constantly jabbing at what they 'could' be) but if you're sick of putting a mask for everyone around you, letting it down to a constant stranger has gotta be a relief. I've got plans for their after-meeting-responses…yes, it will complicate things nicely…  
Simba317: Yay! I'm so glad you like this fic. Don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning SWD. Next chapter should be up by Tuesday at the latest. I agree with just about everything that you said it your review. I didn't have Rogue start talking about the abandonment thing because she was more irritated with his whole playa persona than looking to bond about painful stuff at this time. Plus, you're right--she doesn't want anyone to get too close. She already bonded with Kurt this month… Glad you thought that about the last line--it was intentional. Hmm, you think Remy has an online crush, eh? Hmm…  
Eileen! Grin! Hey! Lol, you're probably right about her different responses to different tongues. Yes, it would be utterly creepy if any of their 'guesses' towards each other were correct. Especially that one. Rogue's bleach reaction _was_ a little strong, but she had just absorbed Kitty for some dance moves…I think she's a little paranoid. Why does eating squirrel remind you of Elvis? Well, _someone_ has to help delever all those crack bunny babies--I even tried to bribe you with cookies or pie:sniff: Where's my update? (Plus, these chapters are nice and short and I don't really have to worry about plot--it's like they write themselves almost.) You're right, I'm SURE that the shirtless thing would completely backfire--notice how she tried not to mention it in her letter? Oh well.  
Bored247: Cool, I'm glad you got the reference. I'm doing most of this out of ep summaries online, since you're right, it has been forever. I agree with you--the writers were crazy or lazy or both. But it did make for some interesting tension around the mansion.  
Kit! Hey! So good to see you! I've been meaning to email you for weeks. I'm glad you're enjoying this (if you haven't seen the chpt 11 in Dance, check it out because it's absolutely vital for the next update--and I think you'll like it)! Thanks for the tip on Lady Susan, it's one of the few Austen novels I haven't read and so now I've got a grand excuse to go check it out. Thanks again!  
Cat: Yeah, Remy's just the amazing innuendo trap master. Heh, you got that he described it perfectly. Go you! LOL, you're right. It IS the ghost car. Sorry for the Belladonna twitches…I'm afraid we might have to deal with her at some point…but I'm trying desperately to come up with a way to avoid it. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll leave the Cheating Star several years in the past…so I don't have to go through writing about it again. Ugh, such a sad story. Anyway…hope you enjoyed!  
chicita: Thanks! I'm really glad you're enjoying it and hope you continue to do so. I will likely encorporate some live actions scenes after Rogue and Gambit meet, but until then…letters.  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, poor Scott (cough--not).  
Rogue238: Really? Wow, thanks! Sorry to take time away when you're busy, but I'm really glad that you said you loved it (and that you read it!), that just makes my day!  
Chained2aMask: Mmmm, spaghetti! I know, I want to skip to them meeting right now! But it'll be worth the wait, I hope! Enjoy in the mean-time.  
Dark Anime Love: Grin! Good, I'm glad you like it. Yeah, I'm not putting in any of the accents, really, because they're writing emails. And that form of communication is pretty void of accents. The flavor I've put in is because Remy also has really bad speech patterns (occasional 3rd person, ect) and that comes out in writing. But during any dialogue scenes with them, I'll likely put the accents in for both. What do you mean? I've got nothing up my sleeve (looks around innocently). Grin! Thanks for reviewing!  
Realtfarraige: Hey, I'm just glad you found it. I love your reviews! Glad you're enjoying the linkage, hinting around the stuff that we know but they don't know is really fun to write. Heh, heh--I completely agree with your whole second to last paragraph (as you can see by this chapter), and I'd quote the whole thing back to you except for the fact that this review response section is almost as long as the chapter! You're getting all my foreshadowing, how fun! You came up with some "good" reasons for Rogue to like Scott--thanks, that helps form this a little better in my mind. Again, thanks for reviewing! I hope you continue to enjoy!  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Thanks! Here ya go!  
punkrogue: I always appreciate a friendly reminder! Thanks! I'll likely be working on SWD tomorrow, so don't worry! Sadly, they won't meet for a while. Don't blame me! I'm following Evo's timeline for this one. I'll do my utmost to speed it up, though.  
Dannonspring: Good. Grin! Enjoy.  
MidniteAngelGoth: Thanks very much! I'm glad that you're enjoying it and hope that you continue to do so! It's fun for me, anyway…


	6. A family emergency

**I am a generic disclaimer. I take the place of anything creative the author might have said here. Oh, and the author disclaims any ownership of the X-men**

Written place shortly after Cauldron 1&2

* * *

Dear Remy, 

Sorry I had to cut out in the middle of the game like that. There was a "family emergency." 'Let me explain. No there is too much. Let me sum up.' Well, remember how I told you that Scott was an orphan? He always thought that his parents and his kid brother died in a plane crash--until last week. The guy who runs the boarding school found out that Scott's kid brother was alive in Hawaii. So he and Scott go down there ASAP, leaving Kitty, Kurt, Evan and I all alone and unsupervised. Where was Jean, you ask? Well, I asked that too, but assumed that Scott took her along for…you know…moral support. Which, of course, she just couldn't turn down.

I believe I've mentioned how we sometimes have to deal with a group of kids who hate our guts? Well, let's just say that they decided to try and make life even more interesting while they had little to fear from any interference. I handled myself very well in that fight, thank you _very_ much, but the others didn't fare as well. Bad guys rarely shout out: hey, we're going to ambush you now! Prepare for battle! Or whatever.

So anyways, it was an 'opportune moment' to lie low for a while. So, we figured that since Scott and Jean and the prof had all headed over to Hawaii, we would join them. After all, why not? Have I mentioned that one of the most interesting things I've found out about my new roommate is that she's an expert hacker in her spare time? No really, the valley girl's brilliant. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I walked by her computer screen and found her fiddling around with…well, I'd better not say.

I won't say that we had a _relaxing_ time in Hawaii. But everything all worked out OK in the end. Scott has his brother back. Alex is staying with his adopted family in Hawaii, but at least now they know that the other's alive and they have a family again.

Excuse me while I go on a brief rant: What _is_ it with people who decide that they suddenly know better than you what to do with your life? Why do people completely look over an individual's ability to make choices instead manipulate them or force them into doing what best pleases _them_ with your life? I mean honestly, what makes people think they have the right to play God? Is it something in the air? Some specific article of clothing that brings out this response? I mean, of all the audacious, arrogant, asinine things to do… **ARGH!** OK, rant over. Thanks for listening.

I'm really sorry that I was never able to get back to you about that whole 'you coming to visit me' thing. I was trying to decide what to do about it, and figured I'd get back to you after the game, as always. But then this whole thing came up…and yeah, I told you that story already. You're probably back home by now. Well, it's probably for the best. It's not that I don't want to meet you someday. But for right now, I need things to stay the way that they are. Right now I can write to you, and it can all just come out. I don't need to worry about your reaction, or what you're gonna see or say, I can just type out what's going on and leave you to deal with it how you choose. But if we meet, that will change. And I don't want you to get too close to me, Remy. Everyone who gets close to me gets hurt.

How psychotic is it that talking to you like this is the one thing in my life that makes me feel normal? Especially since it's so…not normal. But yet, at times it feels like it's the most normal thing in my life.

You…have…a…_Mongoose? _(jaw drops) I choose to ignore your snarky innuendo and instead say--_damn._ As you may have occasionally noticed, I am not a "nice" girl. But if we ever meet and you bring that bike around, I _will_ smile and say "Please let me drive." I figure I'm owed _at least _a ride for putting up with your lip.

And hey, lay off the car, alright? It's a 3.7 V8 engine with 310 bhp and goes 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. Purr. And Scott babies that car to death. It is one well-toned machine.

Heh, and thanks for being the inspiration to go and talk with him about it. He was so glad to talk with someone who actually _listened_ about his baby that Jean walked by twice and he didn't even notice. (smirk)

You just _had_ to bring up that topless poker game again, didn't you? I'm never going to live down the fact that I was stupid enough to mention anything _remotely_ connected to nudity around you, am I? Well, I take comfort from the fact that you can tease me all you want--it's never gonna happen. If we _do_ ever get together and play real poker, I will be content with you rolling up your sleeves. But somehow, I doubt that a computer nerd who hasn't left his basement in five years and plays online poker only to sate his weird obsession with cowboys will ever get up enough guts to expose himself to the light of day.

See you at the table this Thursday? I'm ready, willing, and able to take back my rightful place as number one.

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

It's good to hear from you. _Merde,_ the tables are _boring_ when you're not around. Though I'm pretty sure I went up against Chris Moneymaker in the game after the one where you bailed. You would have enjoyed it, _chere_.

Ah, Hawaii. You've got to love the warm weather, the water, the palm trees, the girls in bikinis…Did you go for a swim, _chere_? I'm sorry I missed the view. So was it a _good _time, Anna? Because some of my most enjoyable vacations have been far from _relaxing_.

I can respond to your rant--people are selfish, _chere._ They want what they want and they don't care who they have to step on to get it. If their success or happiness depends making everyone around them miserable, that's just too bad for everyone else. That's just the way the game is played. I don't know what prompted this rant, but I hope you're doing like I said and keeping your eyes opened. It's good to watch the players even if you're folding your hand.

Playing God, eh? I'm starting to think that's what's going on with _mon pere_. I've tried to reason with him every way I know how, Anna, and he just won't listen. He never used to be this way. Something's changed.

I'm going absolutely crazy here. The job offer sounds better and better. It would contract me out while making it so that I can still preserve some sense of relationship with my family. I don't want to do what they're asking me to do, Anna. It's not right. And I just don't think it will work.

You're wondering--why haven't you taken the stupid job already? The thing is--I don't trust the guy who's offering. But I'm getting just desperate enough not to care. No matter what happens, I'm sure I can work with it. I just don't see any other way out of what's going on at home.

I can understand your hesitancy to meet--and in all honesty, my offer was an impulse thing anyway. Meeting you--though, don't get me wrong, I'm sure it'd be fun--was really just a fantastic excuse to avoid coming home. You're right, meeting in person would complicate things…and one of the reasons that I so enjoy talking with you is because it's completely without consequences or complications. I've got enough of that _merde_ in my life right now. Besides, it's more fun this way, _non_? This way, we both get to keep that edge of mystery.

But what is this nonsense about whoever comes close to you gets hurt? Who's been feeding you such bull? There is no universal law that states "Whoever gets close to Anna will be hurt." What about Kitty, Kurt, and Scotty-boy? I don't recall you telling me of them suffering any serious damage just by being around you. Don't talk such _merde_, _chere._ It doesn't become you.

_Mais, _even if such a law was in effect, I think it'd be worth it.

Besides, I'm very good at finding away around the rules. ;)

I have to let you drive in order for you to be nice? I don't think so. No one drives my baby but me. _Mais_, that's OK, _chere_. I'll still give you a ride. I don't mind if that means you're naughty instead of nice. Sometimes, I prefer it. ;)

So if we're both starting out playing fully clothed, does that mean it's gonna be strip poker? (No, of _course _you'll never live this down. What were you thinking?)

A computer nerd who's too scared to see the light of day, huh? Well _I_ think the reason _you_ play online poker is that it's a failing attempt to distract yourself from your secret Teletubbie fetish.

See ya Thursday, _chere._

Remy

* * *

AN: And here we are at the end of season one! We're just _that_ much closer to the Day of Reckoning. Hope you enjoyed Rogue's little talk-around the whole Magneto-instigating-survival-of-the-fittest-and-wanting-to-make-them-his-highly-evolved-slaves thing. Notice that she didn't exactly _lie_ about how they all got to Hawaii…not her fault if Remy makes certain assumptions. Rogue's rant is also about Magneto--I think she was a lil' insulted with the whole 'force you to fight for your life then kidnap you and plan to turn you into a zombie soldier' thing. Funny how you never see their reactions to that… I have a feeling it would severely tick Rogue off. What'd you guys think of their 'I don't really wanted to meet even if I want to meet' thing? Do you buy it?  
Some random notes: Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003--his only previous experience was online poker. The two 'quotes' are from The Princess Bride and Pirates of the Caribbean. If you haven't seen those movies, you should. Car stats are based off of a 2003 Pontiac Firebird--purr. I _love_ Firebirds. They are_ so_ pretty. 

Review Responses: Aww, you guys really like it! That's so cool! Keep on reviewing and I'll keep updating!  
Notice: In case the rumor floating around about them outlawing review responses is true (which would irritate me to no end), I will post the review responses in the review section. In other words, I'll review my own story, but instead of responding to the story I'll be responding to the reviews of the chapter in the review of the chapter. Hope that makes sense… Hope I don't need to use it…

MidniteAngelGoth: Thanks! Yessir! Enjoy:0)  
Eileen: Grin! Yeah, it's the honeymoon phase all right…sadly, I'm already feeling it start to peter out…oh well…Glad the update made you happy! I agree with you about the car--it does reflect Scooter's personality. But the car is just too blasted shiny for me. And convertibles in upstate NY are so NOT practical--do you know how much it snows up there? But you inspired me to defend the car in this chapt, so I hope you enjoyed. No! No update, no pie. I'm sorry, but that's house rules. (I'll think about the cookies. It's just a lot more fun to say 'no pie' than it is to say 'no cookies.' Try it. Man, what am I saying? It must be the hot chocolate talking…)  
Bored247: Now I have Mmm-bop in my head and it's all your fault. :0P glad you enjoyed the chapie, hope you liked this one too. J  
Cat: Yes, Remy's attempts to get space failed miserably. Too bad Magneto interrupted their responses. Grr, Buckethead. Yeah, I heard the rumors but I checked the guidelines and there's nothing there, so I'm ignoring it until I hear otherwise--unless there's something you know about that we can do about it?  
Realtfarraige: A "reminnuendo!" Rock! And you are _so_ right. The boy was pushing it. I don't think the actual playa-ness bothered her as much as the manipulation-stealing-hearts thing…and the fact that he's getting involved in so many empty relationships, that ticks her off because the way she sees it, she can't get involved in _any_ relationships, so he deserves to at least be involved in something real. Heh, you're right about Rogue's honesty too--but somehow, it just seemed the way she would respond.  
Rogue238: Yeah, the stuff after Days of Recovery should be good…I'm looking forward to it myself. But soon, Remy will join with Magneto and he'll get to tell Rogue all about his housemates…that should be fun, right? Good, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'll have to check out those parodies of yours…  
Dark Anime LoveHeh heh, glad you loved those lines. They were fun to write. Yeah, he wanted to meet her, but--it's better this way... at least, I think so. Hope you enjoyed it!   
Ishy! For some reason, I was really looking forward to your review on that chapter. It made me so happy to get it--not that I don't always look forward to your reviews, but sometimes you want a particular person's opinion on a particular scene…So yes, good guesses and--you know what I loved about Helga? How she really was a poet, despite the fact that she was also a bit of a bully, haven't seen that show in ages though. (Hey, guess what I did today? Reread your last chapter 'cause I enjoyed it so much. Just thought you'd wanna know!) :)  
Chained2aMask: I know EXACTLY how you feel about that countdown. Here's your update, hope it doesn't disappoint!  
thegambit23: Now is soon, right? Enjoy!  
addtothenoise: LOL, yeah, the whole Magneto thing kinda helped her dodge it--for which she was somewhat relieved.  
AngelicFairy: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Don't worry, they'll meet--it'll just be a while. Hope you enjoy their interaction in the meantime.  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it. :)  
simba317: I will look forward to reading your review…first I have to finish writing it though…have a great vacation! Hope it's way better than Rogue's. Heh, glad you loved that Harley girl line--I thought you'd like it. Believe me, it's possible to fall for a pen pal--especially when you're able to be more honest with that person than with anyone around you. And in Rogue's case, he's the only one that treats her like a normal person--who else would flirt with the untouchable? And in Remy's case, she's the only one he can talk to without fear of consequences or looking for an angle. He's trying to escape Belladonna--he really needs that. Yeah, I think his joking around is more fun than the innuendos too, but it's just so ingrained into the character… Thanks for the review! It was great as usual!  
Orion Kohaishu: Hey there! Great to see you! Glad you're enjoying it. Heh--can you imagine the Prince of Thieves as a museum curator? That mental picture just shatters every time I try to think it. (grin) Hope you continue to enjoy!  
punkrogue: Good, I'm glad you're enjoying the ride:) Heh, you really hit the nail on the head with what's going on in Remy. Good on ya.  
Dannonspring: Sorry, chica, we're gonna hafta wait on the mushy stuff. The show doesn't have them meet for a good while yet, and even after they meet it ain't all gonna be roses. But we'll get there, don't worry.


	7. There's a first time for everything

**Disclaimer: **The author is sick and doesn't feel like writing that she doesn't own the X-Men. But she enjoys not being sued more.

Written place shortly after "Growing Pains."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

"Teletubbie fetish." LOL. That's just low, Remy. I suppose that's what I get for conversing with a construction worker who left off his hardhat and got clonked on the head with a metal beam which jarred loose the part of his brain connected to poker and cheesy innuendos, making him unable to stop doing either of them. :-)

Well, it's September, the beginning of a new school year and all that la la stuff. Oh the hustle, the bustle, the back-to-school-shopping, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils… I really hope you can sense my enthusiasm.

You ever see "Good Will Hunting?" Remember that scene when Matt Damon is confronting the annoying preppy guy in the bar and he tells him that he's wasting all his time and money on an education that he could have gotten with a library card? Yeah, that's how I feel about school. No, I'm not claiming to be anything _near_ Will Hunting's genuis or anything like that, it's just that I know that there are some things in life that you actually need to be _taught_ and most of the stuff in school you could pick up yourself if you decided to study it out on your own. And they're constantly throwing pointless busy work at you--attempting to regulate every facet of your life, get you to conform to their expectations, their grading policies, whatever… I just don't see the frickin' point.

And since I'm _such_ a people person, you can imagine my delight when a whole troop of "new recruits" showed up at our doorstep for the new year! They were at the dorms for less than two minutes before a bunch of them started a game of tag that nearly trashed the place. Have I mentioned how much I _hate_ being the responsible one? But with all these goofballs around, it looks like I'll be forced in that position just to maintain my sanity. Or…I could settle for terrorizing them into not acting stupid around me…yeah…that could work…

Ah, but there _is_ a bright side in all this scholastically-induced darkness. I think I made a friend today. Or at least, a potential friend. One that _doesn't_ live with me. One that might actually be able to _relate_ to me.

Not that the kids in the place where I'm staying aren't great. It's just that they're pink to my scarlet, bubble gum to my hard core, they are all so…so…I can't really describe it. I don't want to knock them. But I always feel like they want to change me. They can't understand that I don't _want _to be just like them. And even if I had everything that they had, I still wouldn't want to be just like them. There are more colors in this world than black and white, and I want to paint with all of them.

Woah, look at me getting all philosophical. Well, while I'm on this kick, I may as well get serious for a minute. Remy, if you need to leave home--do it. It's worked out all right for me so far. I'm not sure why you need a contract to get out in order to stay in relationship with your family. You don't have to tell me. But I do know that no one should force you to do something that you feel is wrong. Not your dad, not your boss, not anybody. There's always the choice to walk away, there's always the choice to fight. And I don't know…'cause I've never had this…but I _think_…that is, I choose to believe that if somebody loves you, really loves you, it doesn't matter if you won't do what they want you to do. They'll love you anyway because they love you. If not…well, you can't lose what you never had.

So if you're asking for my advice, which you're not, but I'm giving it to you anyway--just get out of there. You don't need to tie yourself down to something else that you don't feel comfortable with in order to escape something you don't want to do.

But if…for some reason you think you do…well, it's not like I know all the information anyway. Do what you need to do. Just be careful, all right?

On a lighter and more exasperating note: one of the boys that I used to hang out before moving here has a _huge_ crush on Kitty. I honestly think that he sees the room light up in roses and pretty birdies magically appear and fly around her singing melodious hymns of praise to her whenever the girl walks into the room.

But he has _no_ idea how to handle it. He's worse than the frickin' proverbial numbskull who dips the girl's pigtails in ink and kicks the underside of her chair all through class just so she'll look at him. He and his friends just acted like the _biggest__ frickin' idiots_ I have ever seen, and I'm convinced that it was all a ploy to get Kit's attention.

I've got half a mind to walk up to him and _explain_ how that's simply not how it's done. But Kitty asked me not too--I think she's working through the fact that she likes him too. But he's such a total 'thinks-he's-bad' nitwit that she's trying not to admit it to herself. Actually, he's not that bad a guy. He just hasn't had that many chances to be anything other than what he is. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed that he acted like a clueless punk, and I know that he doesn't have any real excuse for acting the way that he did. But I also know that things are always more complicated than they seem.

Sometimes you "prefer naughty," huh? Oh dear Lord. If those are your pickup lines, I don't know how you get the girls. Let me guess--they're weak from hysterical laughter?

And I'm not playing strip poker with you. Wouldn't want to spoil you for anyone else, sugar. ;)

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

I notice that you didn't mention Thursday's game. Too embarrassed to admit that I cleaned your clock, _chere_? Wouldn't have thought it of you. Aww, don't be mad, _petite_, Ain't _my_ fault that you're some preppy teenage fad-follower who only got into online poker because of watching Celebrity Poker Showdown. :)

An' my innuendo is not cheesy. :-P

Sorry to hear that your home has been invaded with rugrats. But I am more than confident in your ability to handle the _petites_. So you plan on terrorizing them in order maintain your sanity? "Don't mess with Anna," eh? If you must, you must, _mais_ you win more flies with honey than with vinegar, _chere_, and you never know when you might need some extra flies, _non_?

So, what's this friend's name? I can relate with the need to hang out with someone outside your immediate and necessary group. But that means you have to be all the more careful, _chere_. Needs can make you desperate, make you overlook things. You keep dodging my question--how's your practicing coming?

And I appreciate your advice, _chere_, but it's more complicated than that. I'm doing one more job for _mon pere_, and if at the end of this I can't convince him to be reasonable, then I'm getting out any way I can. At this point, I won't care too much if I have to leave him--I owe him everything, but I always thought that he had given it to me freely. Apparently, that's not the case. So like I said, if it was just a matter of leaving _him_ then it wouldn't be a problem. But it would mean leaving _mon frère, mes cousins, ma tante... ma demeure… _I'm not willing to give that up.

The results of this last job will determine whether or not I contract myself out. And the reason why I have to contract myself out is--well, I'm involved in the family business, _chere_. It's what I do, it's who I am, but my family is very exclusive--selective--about what jobs we can take and when. This one that I'm being offered is very profitable, and requires my more unique skills, so it would be enough of a stall for me to get out and for them to be able to accept that I'd be gone indefinitely. _Mais_, it ain't great, but it's better than nothing. It'd buy me some more time to figure a way out of this crazy situation anyway.

So you've got sympathy for the 'bad boys,' _chere_? You were hanging out with him once, and now you're hoping he gets to be with your friend? Well, it figures. You are a Harley girl after all. Scotty-boy look up past his engine at you yet?

Why _Anna!_ Were you actually flirting back with me? You naughty little _fille_ you. I had to sweep my jaw up from the table. So I'd be spoiled, huh? (grins) That a challenge, _chere_? Now you _know_ I'm never gonna leave that strip poker idea alone. And most of the time, I don't even need to _say_ anything. I've told you before, _chere_, I'm just that good. ;)

See you at the table Tuesday, _mais_ if you ain't too chicken after that last game.

Remy

* * *

Translation: My brother, my cousins, my aunt…my home 

AN: I am feeling crappy, and so this chapter may reflect that. Oh well, it's up now. In that episode, The New Recruits came and Lance flirted with Kitty and Jean passed Scott over for Duncan and Rogue glowered and met Risty (grr) and Lance practically brought the scoreboard down on Kelly's head (too bad he missed) and Kitty got miffed and Lance got huffy and then he decided to reveal to the whole world that he and the X-men were mutants, so Prof X had to erase practically all of Bayville's minds. So, I don't have much else to say here, except to ask you to please let me know what you thought. (Heh, and if you enjoyed 'Don't mess with Anna' and her little flirtation as much as I did.)

Review Responses: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

MidniteAngelGoth: Hey, thanks for your kind complement! I'm really glad that you're enjoying it. No, they have no idea that the other is a mutant, and if they suspect that the other's life is anything other than normal, they're not paying any attention to it.  
simba317: Yowsa, what a great review! 'K, well first of all, Rogue _definitely_ prefers the bike to the car, but she's crushing on Scott and she's never seen Remy so of course she's going to defend the car. Besides, it's a nice enough car, I suppose… You're right about Remy always being the normalcy in her life. Glad you enjoyed her rant. You're right about Remy's response being about his dad. My theory for Remy playing online poker is that the people back home were getting tired of losing, so he couldn't get anyone to play with him, so he took playing online. And then he met Anna... I agree with you about Scott--esp his stupid Alvers-is-lowlife-scum-and-can-never-change thing. That will tick Rogue off when it happens. As for their meeting…yeah…that's gonna be interesting…  
I was really going to try to get SWD up today for you, but I'm in such a crummy mood that I was afraid I'd cause a meteor to come crashing down onto the roof of the Starbucks, or something equally horrific, so I wrote this instead. I'm not as attached to it so if I wreck it with this chapter, it's not as bad. Thanks for the great review!  
Dannonspring: This chapter was a lil' longer, but I'm not making any promises. :0)  
addtothenoise: I did want to, but it was just harder than normal. Hope you enjoyed it anyway! Thanks for reviewing!  
Rogue238: LOL, your review made me grin. Yeah, it's gonna be very…interesting…when they realize who they've been talking to this whole time. Why oh why did the Evo writers make us wait so long for them to meet? Oh well, soon Remy will be with John and Piotr, and that will make his letters less angst and more fun!  
Eileen: Apologies for breaking the routine! It had nothing to do with your review, I swear. I'm just not feeling that well. Heh, glad you enjoyed those quotes. I love quotable movies. (I met this kid a few months ago who had the _entire_ Princess Bride memorized--she even did the voices and the sound effects. I was in awe.) Yeah, those numbers are good--and Scott had so much fun telling them to her. Aww-ish and whatnot. I went to school in upstate NY. There's lots of snow. Well, she sort of encouraged him to take the job--but she has no idea what she's doing, so I forgive her. Man, is she gonna kick herself later. I can just see it now: "Always say 'no' to the evil psychotic maniac! It's like one of the cardinal rules of life if you don't want your spit to fly back in your face!" Is your time with Remy why I haven't seen an update from you? Sniff, sob. Sniff. "Inconceivable," huh? Well, after writing this I feel even more comfortable in saying, "I don't think that word means what you think it means." But I hope it's not too bad and you enjoy it anyway!  
Cat--LOL, no way, you watched them _both_ yesterday? How cool is that! What a fun movie day. I will do my utmost to keep him from marrying Bella. Actually, I just thought of a way that I could kill her off in this fic, but I'm not sure if it's better or worse if she dies now, so…yeah…  
Bored247: Yeah, the job is with the Acolytes. I agree, it _is_ ridiculous. Must be the helmet. Hope you enjoyed this bit.  
Realtfarraige --LOL, you know, I'm not sure if Jean walked by twice because she was being ignored. That would be highly amusing, though. WOOT! The 10th Kingdom! I LOVE the 10th Kingdom. (Book stunk, though.) Hope you enjoyed watching it. Lol, the 'scenery was a bit metallic.' That's great. Hmm, you're right about his response being interesting in the light of his perspective employer…I don't recall thinking about that when I wrote it… I completely agree with your whole 2nd to last paragraph. Well, what say you about this one? Hope it's not too bad.  
Veronica Small: I'm glad you're enjoying this story. You are correct in your feeling--and no, I didn't say that in the AN, so you're all good. ;) Hope that you continue to enjoy! Thanks for reviewing, and please keep letting me know what you think!  
Wild: I certainly WAS happy. It's great just having you as a read/reviewer, but now I feel all special from a long review:0) Hmm, yes, well those words _might_ come into the conversation. (Grin) Yes, their dealing with who they told all this too is going to be…well…fun--for us, that is. Heh heh. Wow, no internet connection stinks, but I hope that you have an AWESOME time there! Enjoy yourself! (And this update came within 3 days, aren't you proud?)  
Ish--lol, I'm glad you got to watch the movie. I think I missed it, but that show was so clever, I'm sure the movie rocked. Thanks for the stars! Sigh, those _are _great movies, aren't they? Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed Rogue's round-a-bout mutant activity recounting. I'm doing the best I can with that, it's fun but hard to write--'cause she doesn't want to give it away, but **I** want the readers to see what's happening, so our interests conflict. (Yeah, maybe it's not healthy to refer to a character as a sentient being…oh well…) Glad you liked the rant. Yeah, Remy working for Mags is gonna put a serious irony tint in the relationship. Oh well, at least he's not working for Mystique. I have a feeling that once they find out who the other is, being _candid_ isn't exactly gonna be the first thing on their minds…lol, oh well. You have a very good feeling there…not at first is right--should be fun to see how long their stubbornness will outlast their attraction (Opps! Giving plot away (please, it's a Romy, like that's too big of a hint)! Must stop now!) Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Heh, what did you think of Anna's fear of spoiling him?  
AngelicFairy: Heh, heh, the 'fated meeting.' Yes, that should be fun. Glad you're enjoying it, hope you continue to do so.  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Yeah, I'm looking forward to the meeting too. Glad you're enjoying it! Hope this chapt's OK.


	8. Surge of Trust

**Disclaimer**: Leave me alone! I don't own them already. Stop rubbing it in...

Written place shortly after "Power Surge."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

You little punk! Last Thursday was a _draw_, and you agreed to it! Say it with me now d-r-a-w. It's not my fault I had to sign offline and get some sleep before heading off to school in the morning. That game could have continued into next year! The way the cards were falling, we would have been even forever!

And who cleaned _who's_ clock yesterday, huh? But I suppose I can expect such a faulty memory from an ichthyologist stranded in Arizona forced to take up poker in a desperate attempt to adapt. Must be some form of sunstroke.

As for my sympathy for the 'bad boys…' I'm hoping that he'd be with Kitty if he stops being such an idiot and will make her happy. I also hope he'll stop being such an idiot for his own sake. It'll only end up with him getting a split head one day, if he doesn't shape up. Don't make assumptions about me. You said it yourself, I'm full of surprises. I don't like it when people think they have me figured out. Risty did that last night and I flipped out at her. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but nothing--well, very few things--tick me off more than when people think they have the right to pry into my life.

What assumption did she make, you ask? Well, we were at a party surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders and other members of my favorite social strata because Jean had invited me to come and I invited Risty. Scott showed up, and when he did, he walked _right past me_ without even a glance. Where was he going, you ask? Why, to Jean! To Jean who was happily flirting with her nincompoop boyfriend. And suddenly, the whole stupid "love" square is making me sick and I just want to leave and forget about the whole stupid thing when Risty grabs my arm and asks me if I have a thing for Scott.

I don't mind you knowing. I've _told_ you. And you don't live here. Here, I keep my emotions locked up tight. I am fire and ice and you never know which one you're gonna get. But I _can't_ afford to be broadcasting my emotions like that. I can't afford that weakness. Still, I'm almost sorry that I flipped out. I could tell it didn't fool her for a second, and I really like hanging around her. She's into the same type of music, the same type of books…we can talk and talk about this stuff forever and it's just so good to be around someone who understands the concept of sarcasm.

In related news, Operation SNS (Scare Newbies Spitless) is coming along well. Let Scott and Jean be the responsible ones. I'll settle for being the one they leave the hell alone. Not that--as individuals--these kids are all that bad. But as a pack… (shudders) Let me put it to you this way: we used to have a dining room table, now we don't. We used to be able to take hot showers, now we can't. We used to be able to walk down the halls without fear of being smashed with dyed water balloons. (Their--failed--attempt to nail me with one prompted one of the more…successful phases of SNS.) Yes, they did all this damage in less than a week. Logan's suggested bringing in tanks.

Speaking of Jean…I've gotten to know her a lot better than I ever thought I would this week. I mean, she's been driving me absolutely _nuts_ what with Scott moping after her and her perfect body, perfect figure, perfect life… but this week, she needed my help with something, and by helping her, I was able to get to know her--sort of see her from the inside out. And she's not as bad as I thought. She's just as scared on the inside as everyone else. She just thinks that she has to put on a front--I can understand that. This doesn't mean that I _like_ her, or that we've reached any sort of friendly understanding or anything like that. It just means that…well, it's weird.

And you know what else is weird? I mean, really sort of bizarre--I'm finding that she's rubbed off on me. I'm trying to fight it, but last night when I signed on to play, I was suddenly seized with this overwhelming urge to say how _stupid_ poker was and what a waste of time and how I should just cancel my account and use my time better by studying…or maybe organizing my sock drawer. How awful is _that_? I mean, you _know_ that's not me.

I have to wonder, if this is what happens when you open yourself up to people, when you help them out like I helped out Jean…is it worth it? I don't want to lose myself, Remy. I mean, I know I'm not the greatest gal in the world, but I happen to like being me. I don't want that to change into some sort of amalgam of however many other people. The thought of that…petrifies me.

But you know what else? I'm convinced--even more convinced now--that she would have done the same for me, all consequences included, if the situation was reversed.

Where does _that_ leave me? I have no idea. Because despite all that…I can't help but feeling so--well, never mind. Let's not go there, huh?

And here's something else: the practical part of me knows that it's time to let my crush on Scott go. When Jean's in the room, I'm invisible. If things were different… but they're not. And I don't want to be one of those girls pining away for what she doesn't have. There's just one problem--I don't know how to stop liking him. Especially after this whole thing with Jean--she's _crazy_ about him too, you know? But she's scared--she's petrified to get involved in a real relationship. She thinks they're too young, she thinks they should wait, she doesn't want to mess everything up. 'Cause "who really marries their high school sweetheart and lives happily ever after anyway." It explains why she's with that yutz Duncan, anyway. But if I had _half_ the chance at happiness she has--I'd risk everything for it. But I guess I can't even judge that. After all, when you've got so much to gain, it's also a hell of a lot to lose.

So, Dr. Remy, how do I stop liking the boy that's in love with the girl that's in love with him who's running away from that love as fast as she can?

LOL, I can't believe I'm telling you all this. You've got your own problems. I hope my high school soap opera stories amuse you at least. Thanks for listening.

Hope that things have worked out with your family. Take care of yourself, Remy.

See ya next game.

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

So I'm a person who studies turtles and fish stranded in Arizona, eh? I just want you to know, I had to look up that word. First time I've had to do anything related to scholarly activity in a long time. I hope you're satisfied. You should be, after all a daddy's girl who's only playing online poker as a form of teenage rebellion because she's too scared to do anything else that might get her caught can't have too many thrills in her life.

Sounds like you've had a busy week, _cherie_. Befriending the girl you can't stand, going to a party with people you hate, blowing up at the girl you wanted to befriend, scaring _les enfants_… At least you can't tell me your life is boring, _chere_. :)

Of course you realize that in calling me 'Dr. Remy' you left such a huge opening for dirty comments, that I'm not even going to bother. Though that might be the answer to your problem, _chere_. Go out and get thoroughly distracted by someone else. If I was around, I'd be happy to fill that prescription for you, _mais_, that might spoil this little arrangement we've got going on here, _non_?

And I have to say, that I am not impressed by this boy, not at all. Not only is he moaning about some girl who's not you, but she's in love with him too and he can't even tell? He's not fighting for her? Pah! _Cherie_, you deserve so much better than this. He's a wimp, _chere_. I'm glad you're not with him, you'd tramp all over him in a week. There's no way he could handle your fire. You'd be reigning yourself in all the time. _Mais,_ if you just want to _play_ with him, my offer of how-to-learn-to-get-anyone-you-want-in-less-than-a-week still stands, but you've made it clear that that's not the kind of relationship you want. And I respect that, believe it or not.

I'm confused about something, _chere_. You don't strike me as the type of person who is easily influenced. Lord knows how many times I've banged my head into the wall of your stubbornness and it's never seemed to crack. So why are you so worried about this _fille _who you don't even like rubbing off on you? You're a tough one, Anna, I don't see you getting taken over by anyone or anything if you don't allow it or want it to happen. No matter what's going on, you can take it. I'm sure of it.

I've had a busy week too. I hoped doing this job for him would work, _chere_, I really did. I keep hoping that he'll turn back into the man that I remembered as a boy. _Mais_, the more I see, now, the more I wonder if the man that I remember ever existed, if he was just a beautiful mask put on to please and endear himself to a child. I don't know which alternative is worse, Anna--if _mon pere_ changed so much so that I can't even recognize him, or if this man was all that he ever was and the person who took me in and raised me was nothing more than a clever lie. Because my father can lie, _chere_. He's one of the best.

I'm not ashamed to tell you, and only you, that this is tearing me apart.

I can understand the need for mask better than you might think. You're a smart girl for wearing one, I'm honored that you let me see inside. So you see, I've returned the favor. Everyone here just thinks I'm angry about the terms my father has set. They don't know…how much it hurts…

So I'm getting out. I'm taking the job. I can't _be_ here anymore, or else I know I'll end up doing something I'll regret for the rest of my life. I don't want to cut all ties with my family, I'm not willing to give up on them. But until I see him acting like the person I remember…that man is no longer _mon pere._

It remains to be seen if he ever was.

You know, I was planning on going out and getting thoroughly drunk. But after writing this to you, knowing that you're gonna understand it and that nothing's gonna change between us--I don't feel like I need to anymore.

I have to say, I am curious about why you feel like you have to hide so. _Mais_, in this one case, I will make an exception for my curiosity and say--you don't have to tell me, but if you want to, I promise that I'll listen just the same as I know you would if I told you all the reasons behind mine.

If I might offer a…professional observation…the problem with your mask is that you still feel, _chere. _You hide what you feel, but you feel it anyway. If you cut off the emotions completely, then you'll be able to put on whatever face you want whenever you want, instead of not even knowing yourself what's going to come out.

But somehow I doubt you'll take my advice, seeing as I still haven't heard how you're doing with stretching out your poker skills in real life. (Hint hint, nudge nudge.)

Well, since I'm contracting out I expect to be moving any day now. I'm not sure exactly where I'll end up, but don't worry, I'll let you know. Should be all set up by Friday, though. It's high stakes betting on Friday, my favorite kind. See you at the table, _chere_.

Until then,

Remy

* * *

AN: Apologies--this wasn't very funny. But I'm still grumpy and I think it's spreading to the characters. So anyway, Rogue knows that it's time to let go of her crush on Scott--and she would try to do it too, except she just absorbed a huge chunk of Jean and Jean loves Scott and Jean's psyche is influencing Rogue. Rogue is freaked out by Jean's influence enough to somewhat confide about it to Remy. She wants to tell him how isolated she feels because of her mutation--but she can't. Bwa-ha-ha, oh the cruelty of authors. Remy telling Rogue all of that about how leaving his family was killing him bothered me a little, but no matter how much I tried not to write it, the Remy-in-my-head just wouldn't let the idea go and now I finally figured out why. He's losing everything that he thought he could hold on to, all that he's built his life on is being ripped away. So he's grabbing at the one thing he sees as constant--as mildly trustworthy--this total stranger who admitted to baring her heart to him--this girl who he's never seen, but is somehow drawn to in a way that even he can't explain. He's betting on the fact that he can tell her this and she won't pity him, won't get mad at him, she'll just listen. Because he knows that she's been somewhere similar. No wonder the Remy-in-my-head wouldn't leave it alone.  
For those of you who don't remember Power Surge--Jean's powers flipped out and Rogue had to drain her while Scott distracted her. Scott pretty much ignored Rogue for Jean the whole episode, even after Rogue risked her life for Jean and fell to the ground, Scott left her there for Jean. (I am SO thrilled with Scott right now, can you tell?) And Risty got brought to the X-mansion and everyone was "rude" to her because she practically discovered their mutations--but I chose not to deal with that, because I think Rogue realized afterwards that bringing Risty over unannounced was stupid and I see no reason why she would bring that up to Gambit. 

Review Responses: Thanks, all! Please review again:)

punkrogue: Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews! I'm really glad that you enjoyed the chapters. Yeah, the insulting guesses are fun. I will update on SWD as soon as I can be sure not to mess it up, because at the moment I'm really not in the writing mood and I care about that story too much to accidentally bring Bella back from the dead or something horrific like that. But fear not! There _will be_ an update:0) Aww, you feel like you're reading their letters! How cool is that! Well, I hope that you enjoy this chappy too.  
Dark Anime Love: Yeah, Remy has serious issues, but we forgive him. Lol, she still hasn't met him, but don't worry I'm sure that she will appreciate him when she does. I would _love_ to have them meet soon, but I'm following the Evo timeline, so it's not gonna be for a while, unfortunately. I'm trying to speed through these letters as fast as I can to get there. Hope you enjoyed this chapt too.  
Dannonspring: Glad you're enjoying it! Not so much flirting in this chapter, but it was nice and long-ish, with some happy bonding, right?  
Rogue238: Heh heh, yes, Remy knowing Rogue's name _will_ be interesting…I wonder what she's going to have to do to convince her to call him Rogue… I have _very good things_ planned for their meeting--but I don't want to give them away. I'm just trying to get there ASAP so you can see it too…but yes, there may be some ranting involved… Well, I hope you enjoyed this segment of 'Days of Mutant Lives."  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: LOL, yes, it will be fun. Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it.  
Realtfarraige: You're right, being at school probably is a bit of relief from the New Recruits. Man, where's a Rogue gotta go to get some peace? I felt the same way about Risty, though I can't remember now if I was slightly suspicious of her in the beginning or not. Poor Rogue. Aww, Lance really does like Kitty, but he's a bit of a dope when it comes to impressing the girls. Chocolate and flowers are a much safer route that murder, any day. LOL, Reminnuendo. Such a great word. I grin every time I see it. Yeah, it's really too bad Rogue's not listening to Remy's advice--of course, not all of his advice is good, but most if it is. I think that the main reason why Rogue trusts him is that she can always cut him off--he has no real connection to her life. That, and the fact that she really needs someone she can trust and she respects him. I think you're right about Rogue always rooting for the underdog. Scott is kinda oblivious--I don't think he knows about her crush. But yeah, I agree. Lol, I'm glad you liked the flirt-back-back. Was it just me, or was Wolf the best part of the 10th Kingdom?  
toxic touch727: Yay, I'm glad you liked it! Should be interesting when it finally happens… Hope you enjoyed this one too.  
ishandahalf: I promise, it's not a conspiracy. (glances warily around--I think she's onto us. Shh!) lol, I thought you'd like Rogue's flirtiness. Writing her flirty is so much fun. Yeah, I only hope she remembers that bit about unconditional love when the time comes. She is _so_ gonna be kicking herself when she realizes what she encouraged him to do. Yeah, it's not gonna be easy--in fact, I'm scrambling around in my head to try and work out a happy ending. But it will be happy, because I'm stubborn like that. Thanks for the shiney review! It made me smile.  
addtothenoise: No flirting this chappie, but it was even longer. This one was sorta serious and I hope it wasn't too much of a downer. With my mood the way it is right now, it's hard to tell. Anyways, I'm really glad that you enjoyed it! Here's a (happy?) new update for ya!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Thanks very much for the encouragement. I appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this one too.   
Veronica Small: Aww, thank you so much! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it. The fact that it made you laugh makes me glad. Hope you liked this bit too.  
MidniteAngelGoth: LOL, I'm glad you like their insults. I don't know how I come up with them, I guess I just have a strange mind. Yeah, Ben Affleck was pretending to be from Harvard and hitting on Mini Driver and the prep got all up in his face and Matt sailed into the rescue. Thanks, the roses and pretty birdies line was one of my favorites in the last chapt. Glad you liked it! Hope you liked this lot too.  
bored247: Ugh, I know. I don't like Risty at all. But look at who she's living with--Rogue was desperate, poor girl. Aww, thanks, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter. Hope this one doesn't let you down.  
wildcardrose: Wow, it sure _sounds_ like you're going to have an awesome time! I'm jealous just reading about it! Have SO MUCH fun! And hey--here's another chappie for you before you go away, hope you get to see it. I have plans for after Self-possessed…but I'm not sure they're happy ones. Eh, we'll see what happens when we get there. I'm glad you're just writing when it comes to reviewing these chapts, 'cause I'm having so much fun reading them. (no comment on the strip poker thing--haven't made up my mind what to do about that yet, to be honest ;)) OO, a new chapter from you? I will have to make a point and check it out (haven't been reading much online lately)… Again, have a GREAT TIME and come back all happy and ready to update. :)  
AngelicFairy: lol, I'm glad to provide a nice excuse for x-men viewing. I wish I had these episodes, I have to make due with (really good) episode guides. Hope you enjoyed this bit. Thanks for reviewing!


	9. Bada Bing, Baby!

**Disclaimer**: -- Is here to say that I'm not making any money from this...at all.

Written place shortly after Bada Bing Bada Boom

* * *

Dear Remy, 

So you've gone and done it, huh? I hope it works out for you.

I don't know what to say about that thing with your dad. I do know how much it hurts to be betrayed by someone that you trust, believe me I know that. It's got to be so much worse when that person is your parent. But you'll get through it, Remy. The problem isn't with you, it's with them. I've gotta say, I respect you so much for doing what you need to do in order to stay in contact with your family, even after everything. There's no comfort for crap like this, and I wish there was, 'cause I'd get it for you if I could.

Heh, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't let you win tonight. You trounced me good and thoroughly all by your lonesome. You were at the cards with a vengeance tonight, Rems, don't know if I've ever seen you play so good. Pretty impressive for a Dunkin' Doughnuts cop who's derelict on duty because he's distracted by practicing his poker moves on one of those hand-held poker games.

Thank you for sparing me your Dr. Remy comments. I should just get someone to edit my emails for me and ask them to look at anything that could possibly be construed as innuendo so that I can take it out. 'course, knowing your dirty mind, I'd probably just end up saying "Hello." That would make for a fascinating correspondence, huh? (Sigh) I guess I'll just have to suffer through...

Thanks for the advice. The problem is, I can't just get distracted by someone else. Believe it or not, I _am_ fairly picky about who I like. It doesn't happen that often. And it's not that simple. I really can't blame Scott for not wanting to be with me. Frankly, I don't know anyone sane who would. Don't ask me for an explanation on this one, just take my word for it. I'm not being self-depreciating. It's an honest assessment of my situation.

That doesn't stop me from hoping, though. I wish it would. Hope hurts.

ANYWAYS, I am taking some comfort in the fact that I am not the only one out there who gets stupid crushes. Kurt is _so far gone_ on Tabs (a newbie) that I feel like I'm watching a sitcom. I may have mentioned before that Kurt is an Incredibly Brilliant Prankster, but Tabs…she takes the cake. The two of them together were _trouble_ at the school carnival. Would you believe me if I said that they blew up a hotdog stand? (Sigh) The two of them together is a scary, scary thing. I like her though--she's just crazy enough not to be scared of me, and she's been through more than enough crap in her life. It might be good for her if she did hook up with Kurt, just so she could see someone treating her right for a change. She's hanging out with my old crowd now. Couldn't take all the rules here, I guess. It's not a smart move on her part, again _individually_ and _by themselves_ the boys weren't too bad, but together--well, they frequently continue to astonish me with their idiocy.

It's only fair that you had to look up ichtyologist. After all, you make me look up French all the time.

And…just so you know…like you said, it's an honor that you chose to confide in me. _Merci_.

I suppose you should be proud. Your French is rubbing off on me. And here you thought I wasn't easily influenced. ;-P

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Trust me when I say that not even "hello" would be safe coming from you to me, _cherie. _An' I don't think they'll be much _suffering_ involved. ;)

You worry me, Anna. What, is this boy's stupidity making you think you ain't good enough or something? You're asking me to just take your word, that you being alone is just the way things have to be. _Mais, fille_, why you even telling me this if you don't want me to talk you out of it? I think you know that if you say that no one sane would want you, I'm gonna ask ya to take a long hard look in the mirror and question your own sanity. And don't throw me any crap about how 'I don't see you' or 'I don't know.' It's true, I don't know what you look like, I don't know all your secrets, but I _know _you. Snap out of it, _fille_.

Blew up a hotdog stand, eh? Least you ain't ever bored, _chere._

Here's a free tip, _chere_. If you're ever offered a contract job by someone you've never met before, _always_ find out exactly who'll you'll be working with first. I was so busy going over the business aspects of the contract, making sure that it took care of things between me and my family, that it didn't even occur to me to ask. So I'm working with an "elite" team.

Let's start with the seemingly sane and work up to the bastard, huh?

First member of the team that I meet is a Russian import. The immense tall silent type, though I'm not sure if that's just 'cause he doesn't like his new job or if he can't speak English too good yet.

Then there's the psychopath, St. John. Yes. His name is "St. John." But I have decided to call him Johnny. I think he's got a split personality or something, I haven't completely decided yet. All I know is the man's got an unnatural attachment to his lighter. In fairness, though, at least he's got a sense of humor.

And the worst part is he's hired a man that I ran into on one of the jobs for my family. _Mais, chere_, I swear to you that if I had anything to say about it…well, let's just say that the "man" wouldn't be here anymore, neh?

Right now we're all staying at the boss's base, we're supposed to train together and learn how to work as a team. Not a bad idea--if we all weren't hopelessly set in our ways. _Mais_, the boss can be very convincing, so we're all putting on a good show. But I tell you true, there is no way in hell that I'm staying in this complex with them any longer than I have to. I'd go stark raving mad. Fortunately, the boss never said anything against us providing additional accommodations, as long as we were still available at a moment's notice. I can get a nice apartment, maybe have _ma tante_ ship up some of my favorite things from home. I'm gonna be here for a while, might as well settle in, _non_?

Glad you enjoyed the game, _chere_. Figure it's a rare show for a mall rat who only plays online poker because she's been banned from every local mall in a fifty mile radius and internet shopping site and can't get over getting over her habit of wasting money. As for attaching the cards with a vengeance, I'm just practicing for our game, _cherie_. I've every intention of winning, can't wait to see just how _spoiled_ I can be. ;)

As for you speaking French, _mais_, what can I say? I know I'm irresistable. But I'll know I've good and truly rubbed off on ya when I get you to agree to that game. (Sigh) You give me hope, _chere_, you give me hope. :)

See you Wednesday,

Remy

* * *

AN: Slightly shorter than the last two, but Bada Boom Bada Bing really didn't give me very much to work with. Basically it's all about Tabitha and Kurt and Tabs facing her nasty father (the Evo writers seem to have a thing with parents using their kids for their powers) and leaving the X-men for the B-hood because she doesn't like being told not to blow things up. Don't really have much else to say, except that the next chapter will be longer. 

Review Responses: Rogue238: Aww, sorry about the 'late in the day' update for this one. I was watching TAS too. I almost didn't write this today, but your review inspired me to get out something fun for ya. That, and I really want to get through this to the good stuff. Hope your hubby gets back soon! (Sigh) I miss Cat too. Enjoy this chappie, it's for you! (Wish it was slightly better for ya, but it was written and at this point that's the best I can do.)  
MidniteAngelGoth: Yeah, it can't all be good times with those two. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about the strip poker thing, but I can see it becoming a reoccurring theme in their letters. "Just when Rogue thought it was safe to write…" type of thing, at the very least. Hope you enjoyed this bit!  
Eileen: Lol, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wreck your reviewing plans. I'm sorry to say that in this case I'm a fad-follower too, but I got into it 'cause of Rounders. And I'm not even _that_ into it, just learned about enough to write this fic. You know, you're right, it does sound an awful lot like typical high school behavior. SO glad I'm over that. (Shudder) I'm also glad I missed out on the sibs getting into Teletubbies. They were frightening. The only time my little brothers got into Barney was in finding this phone number for "stress relievers" in the phone book where you got to hear him dying slowly by being placed alive in a pot of boiling oil. No, I'm not making that up. Yes, it really was filed under "stress relievers." I'm glad you enjoyed Jean rubbing off on Rogue, I found it amusing as well. LOL, I'm not power happy, I was punch drunk from pounding through writers block. OK, maybe a _little_ power happy…just a tad. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this bit.  
bored247: Yeah, poor Remy. But at least this way he gets to meet Rogue. You know, eventually. And that'll be good, right?  
Wild:LOL, you write fun reviews. Well, I'll look forward to hearing from you when you get back, babbeling in French or not. Lol, glad you appreciated my silliness. Glad you're thinking about unraveling things! I'll look forward to that. Aww, I'm glad Remy's letter gave you that response. Yeah, it's necessary, sadly. I am SO looking forward to writing their meeting, you have no idea. Maybe it'll be up by the time you get back, who knows? I am so very glad you're enjoying it! Umm… "Pinch me" got away? Again, have a great time! Looking forward to reading whatever you've got!  
Realtfarraige: LOL, I'm trying to think of a good 10th Kingdom quote to respond to you, because you really deserve it, but my brain is just not pulling anything up. I'll have to go watch it again. Don't you love the self-help books, though? LOL, glad you liked SNS, I think it'll a long, ongoing operation… lol "You'd be better off fancying a plank of wood." Couldn't agree more. I think it's a mix, what Remy's saying about Scott. He definitely really thinks it, but the King of Hearts can't quite face up to the fact that he's fast falling for a woman who he's never even seen. So if he's being a bit…oh jealous/possessive…he's not aware of it. Heh, he thinks he's being 'friendly.' You're right about the frustrations they must be experiencing about not telling the other about their mutations, but I think for Rogue it's a mixed bag. Even though she'd like to confide in him, she loves being treated as 'normal'--even though she couldn't act on the advice or the dirty suggestions he gives her, she loves that someone's actually offering it. It's like a little escape for her. Umm..actually, things are probably gonna go a bit AU around Cajun Spice...'cause I plan on having them _know_ before then, so the script would have to be a bit different. Can't say more without giving it all away!  
punkrogue: Well, I'm glad this one's growing on you. I'm gonna try to work on SWD this week, though so we'll see what happens, eh? Umm..well…see, it's gonna be an interesting meeting. But I'm looking forward to writing it, so does that give you hope? Hope you enjoyed this update!  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: You know, I realized that this was like You've Got Mail after I had written a chapter or two. But no, what inspired it was a little writing game that my friend Jenn and I are playing…it's the 'letters' game. Where you write the other person as a character. And then I thought--hey, this would be fun for Remy and Rogue! So, yeah, that's what happened.  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: heh, that's OK. Not everything in their life is happy, and the chapts will reflect that--even if they're both trying to put on a happy face. Thanks for reviewing!  
ishandahalf LOL, again with the evil author alert, huh? Well, congrats on foiling the plan. Sigh, I just hope that Rogue CAN get over her crush on Scott--sometimes these things take more than deciding that your crush is stupid… Yeah, I'm guessing that absorbing so much of Jean would put a serious cramp in her style for a bit, but hopefully she'll get over that. I'm thinking that your guess about what will happen when they finally meet is pretty close to the mark. NO WAY, you used the word 'ichtyologist'? Wow. See, I didn't know such a word existed, I just thought that it would be funny to call Remy a person who studies turtles who was stranded in Arizona, so I looked it up to see if there was an actual term for it, and (surprise!) there was! That's very amusing to me. So anyways, hope you enjoyed this bit!  
addtothenoise: Aww, thanks. I'm trying to keep pluggin away at it. And now, we get to have amusing Acolyte stories! That should be fun… And this chapter was a little funnier, right? Thanks for letting me know what you thought!  
IvyZoe: Heya, glad you found it! It's been fun to write. I'm trying to get to their meeting time, it's just the Evo writers made it so far away! Well, at least I'm trying to make it a fun ride. Hope you continue to enjoy!


	10. The Hidden Wisdom in Teen Movies

**Disclaimer**: Sorry, Pyro's dust bunnies of doom were here first. What do you mean I don't own Pyro either! (Grouses)

Written place shortly after "Fun and Games"

* * *

Dear Remy, 

You're about as irresistible as a half price sale at The Gap. But you _are_ somewhat…endearing, I'll give you that. Kind of like if you've been walking around with a pebble in your shoe for miles, you just sort of get used to it. ;)

What a weekend I had! I'm sure you know the saying, "when the cat's away the mice will play." Well, if you replace "cat" with "adults" and "mice" with "teenagers," you get the a scene of every "good" teenage movie--party while the parents are gone. Why do teenagers refuse to learn from all the movies where their parties end very, very badly? Simple: they have brains the size of mice.

Heh, but it was fun while it lasted.

The first step was getting Jean and Scott out of the way. I've mentioned before that they're far too responsible to be normal teenagers. Kitty and Kurt (otherwise known as the dynamic duo) decided to do a little mismatchmaking. It was the old 'trick them into thinking the other one wants to meet and then find a way to strand them there' con. Really, I'm almost surprised they fell for it as long as they did. But I guess the extent of their obliviousness really should cease to amaze me.

Lol, now let me tell you about the wondrous success of the party. First of all, as always, about four hundred uninvited guests showed up. Valuable stuff breaks. Guests wander off where they're not supposed to go…

The _best_ part though, was when someone accidentally set off the house's security system. We're talking flashing lights, blaring sirens, defcon missiles… let me tell you, it was bad. There was a snowball's chance in hell for the evidence of this party to fade into the night.

At least the security system going off made getting rid of the guests easier.

Moral of the story? Sometimes you should listen to pop culture.

Now _there's _a sentence I thought I'd never type. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're getting your own place. I can't wait til I'm able to do that myself. Still, I've found a few places around town where I can go just to be by myself. There's this one spot…it overlooks the water…I found a place there that's hard to get to, really only enough room for one, maybe two _very friendly _people, and it doesn't look over anything but the water. Which is good, because any spot that overlooks the water tends to automatically become a make-out haven and if I wanted to be sick I would just eat some of Kitty's cookies. She's in home ec this year. Lord have mercy on us all. How do you dodge the person who's trying to poison you with her cooking when you share a room with her?

Heh, that reminds me of a Winston Churchill quote. He's at this party and he insults this woman there so she says to him, "Sir, if I were your wife I would poison your drink." And then he says to her, "Madam, if you were my wife I would drink it."

Ah, Churchill, what a guy. I'm doing a biography on him for English. He was never one to pull back from a good insult.

Different woman: "Sir, you are drunk!" "Yes and you, madam, are ugly. But in the morning I will be sober."

I wonder if that happened at the same party…

What was I saying? Oh yes, well, at least you won't be bored when you have crazy housemates. I hope that provides you with the same comfort it provides me. :-p

And you were sweet to try and change my mind, Remy. But it's true, you _don't_ know all my secrets, and I'm pretty sure that if you did you would change your mind. So let's agree--we won't bring this up again. There's no way we'll be able to agree on it, not without a change that neither of us wants to make.

You played a pretty good game yesterday. Just not good enough. (sigh) What's to be expected from a fisherman who hasn't bathed in six months but is so addicted to poker that the first thing he did coming on land was to find a computer and play instead of getting clean?

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

A pebble in your shoe, eh? You've got a strange way of telling me you love me, _chere_. _Mais_, that's OK. Fortunately, I know what you're _really _trying to say. I'm used to all sorts of declarations of love and desire from _femmes_. Shame you're so shy, Anna. Next time, don't be coy, just come out and say how you really feel. ;)

Aw, you shouldn't be so hard on Scott and Jean--sometimes the oldest tricks work the best. Or maybe you're just irritated because the distraction worked all too well? Still not over your crush yet, _chere_?

I think I'm hurt--you had an all out party and didn't even think to invite me. (Sniff, sob) At least I would have been able to help you take care of the security system. But I'm glad you had fun, _chere_. So you got busted, huh? What's the time served for one party thrown while the adults are away in your boarding school?

You _would _chose to do a report on someone based on their ability to make insults. I never knew Churchill was such a kidder. _Mais,_ I know what he means about being willing to drink poison in order to get away from a certain woman. (rolls eyes) Sometimes being irresistible ain't all it's cracked up to be. But all the other times… (smirk)

Ah, your get-away sounds lovely, _chere._ Maybe one day you'll take me to see it, neh? I haven't got my apartment yet, we're still working through some issues together as a team. _Mais_, it'll be a miracle if we all make it through this time alive, let alone with our sanity intact.

For example, let me tell you the story about St. John and the fiery dust bunnies. We've been here for about a few weeks now and Piotr and I started to notice that there was an unwholesome aroma coming from St. John's room. So while he was in the rec room watching reruns of DragonBall Z (he likes it when they go "super sayan"), we decided to do a little investigating. We open the door and--decomposing pizza boxes, mounds of dirty clothes, posters hanging off the wall, and I swear I saw some green sludge _moving._

We had been wondering why it never seemed like he left the rec room anymore. He was scared of his own room. With good reason. I would have shut the door and never looked in there again, _mais,_ we still have to walk down that hallway.

So we dragged him into the room and shut him in it, telling him that we wouldn't let him out until it was safe to walk through the hallway again.

Would you believe the crazy loon began acting like a nuclear waste inspector and started saying that the only way to avoid total contamination was to burn the whole room down? We asked him how he thought he was going to manage this without destroying the rest of the house. "Easy," he said, "I'll just let these fireball dusty bunnies of doom handle it!" I think he actually expected them to appear, and that once they did everything would be alright.

He _did_ end up burning the pizza boxes and the green sludge.

And then he collapsed laughing, saying that the messy room had all been one big joke and that he was wondering how long it would have taken us to force him to clean it.

I'm looking into getting an apartment as soon as possible.

And there was nothing "sweet" about it, but you want to drop the subject? Fine. I won't bring it up if you won't. But when we meet up for our real game, I'm gonna make it my business to have a serious talk with you about this.

_Mais_, I'm looking forward to it. ;)

And thanks for the commiseration, Anna, _mais_, it was pity for you that held back my hand yesterday. After all, as a mortician's assistant, you must not have much of a social life to become as obsessed with playing poker as you are, and I want to make sure that you're still able to enjoy it. After all, the game is only fun if you win once in a while.

Until then,

Remy

* * *

AN: So I hope you enjoyed this little installment, folks. I don't have much to say about it. Oh, except for the fact that Pyro really DID create fire dust bunnies of doom to destroy the pizza boxes and scary green sludge. But it wasn't like Remy could tell Rogue that. And the women Churchill was insulting were opposing members of Parliment, Lady Astor (poison) and Bessie Braddock (ugly).  
And I do have a general question--I was scouting on ahead and I noticed that Rogue was not in Hex Factor--at all. I guess the writers just couldn't figure out how to put her in there and still have Wanda womp the X-Men. Any suggestions on where she should be during that time? 

Review responses: Thank you reviewers! Come again!

IvyZoe: (Shrug) I figure until they put it in the Guidelines or on the front page, it's just a rumor. You're right, he thinks she's just doing the typical teenage angst bit, he has no idea that she has an actual _reason_ for saying that no one would want to be with her. As for his reaction...well, we'll just have to wait and see. :)  
mia126: Thanks very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm having fun with it. Hope you like how it pans out once we get there:)  
bored247: Not as soon as normal, but still soon, right? Yeah, I hadda work around this one too, but it was a lot more fun! Enjoy!  
Rogue238: Aww, stupid bosses indeed. Grr. Good luck with that, hope it all works out. Heh, heh--yeah, I've been looking forward to writing this one. It didn't come out as funny as I intended, I don't think, but then I haven't really been feeling like writing and so I'm just glad it came out at all. Lol, glad you appreciated the "hello" bit. I was debating having him actually _say_ something along those lines, but I figured that a warning would be easier for me to produce. I never actually _saw_ A Walk on the Wild side, so I'm relying completely off of summaries for that one, but it should be a good one to write as well. Hope you enjoyed my little Pyro story!  
Dark Anime Love: No problem, it's all Babelfish to me, and if I put French in, I'll always translate it. Hope this letter took away some of that worry. :) Thanks for reviewing!  
xmengirlzrule: Thank you very much! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it. It's really fun to write. Hope that you continue to enjoy!  
Nettlez: Thanks very much, I'm glad that it's intriguing and that you think I'm doing the characters justice. It's always a little intimidating writing in someone else's voice. I'm really looking forward to writing their impressions of each other to each other, but sadly WB made that _very_ far away. I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thanks again!  
addtothenoise: Yes, Acolyte stories! I hope you enjoyed the first installment! Firey dust bunnies of doom! LOL, and no, seriously, thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying it. And thanks for the update in Paradise! I'm off to read it now!  
ishandahalf: You're right, I AM cheating, bwa-ha-ha. Thus the abnormally fast updates, and probably why Rogue's letters are so much easier for me to write than Remy's. That, and since I'm writing letters the chapts are nice and short. But don't worry, things will start getting shaken up around the time they meet. Man, I'm looking forward to writing that. Glad you're liking the letters, they really _are_ fun to write. Yes! Finish 'Symbiotic!' Start a new fic! Have fun (and entertain _me _with great writing! See, it still all comes back to me in the end…)! Heh, glad you appreciated that irony. I wanted to write her sympathy for that, but then I was like "Wait, she doesn't know yet! Hmm…I could work with this." I'm SO GLAD that my characters can't come out of the computer screen. I would be _so _dead. Lol, I never knew I was such a good conspirator! I should have taken it up ages ago.  
punkrogue: lol, I will do my best to be worthy of your trust. Yeah, this story's been a lot easier to write than SWD right now, so I'm glad you're enjoying. Really glad. And thanks so much! Hope you continue to enjoy!  
Realtfarraige: Sorry about the missed daily update. I was writing it last night when suddenly I got so _tired_ I just couldn't write Remy's letter. I fixed them both up shiney today. I'm not sure what you mean with your question about Rogue being obtuse with her looks. No, she doesn't want Remy to know what she looks like--yes, she probably has rather low self-esteme, but right now it's all focused on how she can never have a "real" relationship with anyone and on playing 'keep-away.' She's not talking about friendship, she's talking about non-platonic relationships. I don't know if that answers your question or not…if you can clarify I'll try to answer better:) I'm glad you enjoyed her reaction to Tabby. You're right about her 'challenge any rule' mentality. Even if it's a personal rule. But Rogue thinks that anyone who knows and will still get close to her is crazy…  
Hmm, I'm thinking you've got the right idea about Magneto's "help." Yeah, I figured he wouldn't be too thrilled to be working with Sabertooth. You know, that whole "Paris" incident…A house 'warming,' huh? Heh heh. You're coming out with great Remmienduo yourself. Will I get to see a story from you sometime soon? Glad you liked that he knows her bit. You really can get to know people very well through letters. Yeah, it's hard to talk around such a big part of your life as a mutation, especially when you're talking with the one person in the world you feel you can be honest with. Heh, let's just hope that doesn't change too much once they meet. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, hope you liked this one as well! Ooh, I just remembered some fun 10th kingdom moments… "A Shepherdess makes quite a mess, but little lambs are lovely…" "A poor little old lady frightened out of her wits, I should untie you, I should _untie you_…but first I'll put a smidgen of butter in the pan!" Oh, and that whole scene with the psychiatrist and the ink blots! (Sigh) Lovely…  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: T'anks for de tip, mon ami! ;) Yeah, I don't speak French, just Babelfish, so I appreciate any corrections. Glad you're enjoying it!


	11. The favor of Lady Luck

**Disclaimer**: If I write this a hundred times, will I have to never write it again? Oh wait, this isn't detention... And I don't own X-Men Evolution

Written place shortly after Bayville Beast and Adrift.

* * *

Dear Remy, 

Well, it's been quite a week. I am _so glad_ that Christmas vacation is coming up soon. Hopefully I'll be able to get some quiet around here for a little while--I've just about given up on peace. I realize that some things are too much to ask for. (sighs and puts the back of her hand dramatically to her forehead.) lol, seriously though, I think I got your fiery dust bunnies of DOOM beat. (If "doom" is the last word of a phrase, it should _always_ be emphasized. It's just one of those life rules. :))

I suppose I should start out with Evan's adventures--do you remember Evan? He was the kid with the camcorder. Well, the boy's been carrying on like he was too cool for school--literally. He's my partner in this and he was leaving me high and dry. One of the teachers at school started to notice and got completely feral about it one minute and rational about it the next. The long and short of it is that now I have a "sk8er boi" wandering around reciting Shakespeare. I'm not sure if I should be amused or horrified…

We also have a new instructor at the boarding school. He's pretty cool, I guess. Nah, I'm not guessing, I like him a lot. He's frickin' brilliant--science, English, gymnastics… I'm really gonna like having him here. I got involved in a conversation with him the other day about Goethe's _Faust_, and he soon lost me with his polysyllabic analyzation, but once I got him to start using words that I could understand, he actually helped me develop an appreciation for the second act, which was frickin' amazing since I was about ready to throw the book through the wall. And, he has a Twinkie fetish. You have to appreciate a teacher with a junk food obsession, especially if he can list from memory the chemical components that go into the Twinkie and _exactly _what they do to your body--and then he goes ahead and eats them anyway.

Trust me, you don't want to know the nasty things that eating Twinkies can do.

Though on second thought, I wonder if he made that up so he can keep the Twinkies all to himself…hmm…this bares further investigation.

In other news, Scott went to Hawaii to visit his brother and his foster family this weekend. I think that some of the bleach his brother uses on his hair has affected his brain cells. So, there's this huge storm blowing in, kid bro is surfing and refuses to come in--Scott _doesn't _go and get help--because kid bro says that it will make him look stupid. Instead, Scott attempts to rescue kid bro himself. I wonder if bleach affected brain deadness is contagious? Eventually the cavalry comes and the Coast Guard saves the day, but _yeesh. _I mean, it's nice of Scott to go and save his brother and all, but think of how this could have been avoided if he had just told the bleach user to get the heck out of the water because--hey, there's a storm coming and isn't it bad to be in water when there's lightning? I'm glad they're both OK, though. I didn't have much of a chance to talk to Scott--Jean's been in his room attempting to nurse him through his traumatic experience. Have I mentioned that she's still with Duncan? Yeah…anyway…

Sometimes I worry about Kitty--she gets caught into little scams so easily. Would you believe that she actually ordered a hat from the internet in order to help her study for her history test? It was this horrid pyramid shaped thing that made her look like a dunce--you remember, those old fashioned dunce caps that teachers used to make the naughty students wear when they were sent to sit in the corner? Well, she got it, was wearing it all around the house, until she finally sat down cross-legged with her tongue sticking out a little as she tried to memorize names. Until I walked by and flashed her with a mirror. Sometimes you just can't _tell_ people things, you have to show them. She let out a sqwak like a parrot who just had it's tail pinched and that hat was across the room quicker than you could blink. Lol, her naïveté is sweet, though--if a little frightening.

Kitty and her beau are doing _quite_ well. I'm very pleased with the direction this relationship has taken. He really seems to care for her, and I know how much this means--to both of them, really. For him, it's like a second chance at something truly fine, for her, it's someone who actually takes the time to really _see_ her and appreciate what he sees. It's good for them, and I'm happy for them.

Now if only they wouldn't stay up on the phone talking til three in the morning. Did I mention that I've been doing special sessions with Logan at 5 before school every day? (shrug) What can I say, I've got an unhealthy obsession with learning the best ways of fighting hand to hand. There's just something about it that's…fun. Though I'm becoming more and more addicted to coffee than I'm sure is entirely healthy.

How's the apartment search coming? Hope that you've been having better luck with that than you've been having at cards. (Shakes head) I was almost embarrassed to beat you last night. What happened? Did Lady Luck catch you flirting with Madame Fortune? _Mais_, what can I expect from a guy who's using poker as an online dating service since he's too _irresistible_ to be seen in public, so he has to find the girl online first before risking the great outdoors! ;-P

(cough, yeah right, cough cough)

Better luck next time!

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Easy, _chere_. If I'm using poker as an online dating service, that would make _you_ my perspective girlfriend. I didn't know that you were applying for the position, _mais_ if you want an answer all you have to do is ask. ;)

Goethe's _Faust,_ huh? Ain't that a bit heavy reading for high school material? My _pere_ made me read it a while ago, along with a couple of other "classics." The second act mysteriously disintegrated before I had a chance to throw the book through the wall… I'm glad you found someone to help you get through it, though. _Mais_, this teacher sounds a bit like Superman to me. With a Twinkie fetish…I think I may have to agree, _chere_, you sure collect some weird ones in that boarding school of yours. Me, I've never really liked Twinkies. Suppose that's because I'm spoiled. Ma Tante Mattie made the _best_ Cherries Jubliee, and that was just the start. 'Course, once I started cooking, it really became hard to eat anything else. _Oui,_ I'm just that good. ;)

I don't know if your "sk8er boi" quoting Shakespeare can make up for St. John's fiery dust bunnies of DOOM (I write corrected), _mais_, I'll give you that you have it over on me in quantity if not quality. Somehow I find it hard to believe that your roommate was walking around with a dunce cap on her head in order to enhance her intelligence… From what you've told me, that's quality right there. Still doesn't match the fact that the boy turned his room into a bio-hazard in order to play a joke.

I don't know what to say about Scotty-boy's adventures in Hawaii. _Mais,_ that's not completely true. I _do_ know what to say. I'm just not sure you'd want to hear it. So instead I'll ask--why do you like him again?

You seem to have some issues with the fact that Jean is with Duncan--I have to admit, this confuses me a little. I thought you would want to take advantage of the opportunity to move in on your crush while the object of _his_ attention is otherwise occupied. Care to explain?

Well, I'm finally all settled in my new apartment. Too bad I can't have you over for a house warming party. Maybe we'd even get a chance to play some poker. Least that way we'd have some privacy for when we lose a hand. Strip poker isn't exactly something most _femmes_ feel comfortable playing in public. ;)

Still, I'll probably be splitting my time between the apartment and the base. I wouldn't want to leave poor Piotr here all alone with Johnny boy. I have a feeling that would end…badly. Piotr is an artist, he does beautiful paintings--I'd love for you to see them one day, _chere_--and John--well, John is a little obsessed with fire, as you might have gathered. And paint is sadly a very flammable thing. I've had to play referee more times than I would have liked already, John just doesn't know the meaning of the word "stop." _Merde_, it's even worse when he's driving. Someone once made the mistake of telling him that the stop signs with the white lines around them were optional. (1) And I'm not sure if he really believed that person or not, but he sure as hell drives like it. I am _never_ driving with him again. Fortunately, the boss has alternate means of transportation that are--if a bit cramped--very effective.

Been taking to riding my baby around at night. It's the closest thing to flying, _chere_, speeding through the dark with the wind on your face. Look forward to taking you for that ride someday.

Ah, don't you worry about me and Lady Luck. She loves me, she'll always come back to me. _Mais_, I'm not convinced she ever left. Since I lost that last game I've got you admitting that I'm irresistible. Before you know it, you'll be agreeing to that game. I'm willing to lose a little if it'll get me what I want in the end.

'Sides, what would a mathematician who only plays online poker because she's more interested in the numbers than the heart of the game know about Luck, anyway? I tell you true, the Lady's on a first name basis with me.

And I can't wait to show you how true that is. ;)

Next time,

Remy

* * *

AN: So I decided to make "Bayville Beast" and "Adrift" happen in the same week. Why? Because I'm the author and I can, and because both episodes really gave me very little to work with--I mean, what's Rogue gonna say "So, my chemistry teacher turned into a giant blue beast, he was going to tear as all to pieces but then Evan talked him down by reciting some Shakespeare." But the main reason why I made them take place in the same week is that now we are just that much closer to The Days of Reckoning. Yay!  
OK, apparently my source for info was incorrect and Rogue was in Hex Factor. Thanks to everyone who pointed that out for me! I owe ya! 

1-My brother told that to this girl in his driver's ed car. She believed him.

Review Responses: Wow, look at all the reviews! I feel appreciated!

They-Call-Me-Orange: Hey! Glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the tip, even though I don't need to worry about it anymore. Hope you continue to enjoy!  
heartsyhawk: Well, it's a joy to get a review from you--good luck with that postit thing. Thanks for the info on Rogue! Definitly good to know! Hope you continue to enjoy it!  
punkrogue: Glad you enjoyed it! "Halloween" was quite fun, I hope you continue to work on it. Thanks for reviewing!  
IvyZoe: See, I'd tell you what happens when they'd meet, but that would spoil it. I'm looking forward to it, though. Hope it's worth all this build up. Anyways, glad you enjoyed, thanks for reviewing!  
Rogue238: LOL, I'm SO GLAD you liked Pyro's dust bunnies of DOOM. I was a little nervous writing it, because I'm not really good at situational comedy. So I'm glad you think it worked. Thanks for the show tips! I don't know why you got talked into doing Snow White--just imaging how many times you'll have to listen to that characters warbly voice earns you my utmost sympathies. At least you've the pleasure of driving Rogue nuts as well. Hope you enjoyed this last bit!  
Dark Anime Love: Moving green sludge was probably influenced by childhood memories of ninja turtles. SO GLAD that you enjoyed it all. Appreciate the tip about where to put Rogue, even though it's not necessary anymore. Hope you continue to enjoy!  
mia126: Oh, I'm glad you liked the Churchill quotes. They just sort of…came out. Thanks for reviewing, hope you liked this bit too.  
addtothenoise: LOL, very glad that you enjoyed the fiery dust bunnies. Hmm, so does this make it your turn to update? (waggles eyebrows) hope you enjoyed this bit!  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: As am I! I'm doing my best to get us there fast!  
ishandahalf: Darn it, I knew I wasn't cut out to be a conspirator! Congrats to you. Lol, I'm glad you liked the Scott/Jean insultness and Pyro's lunacy. "Thinning the herd"…ouch! (grin) So true, I can't imagine Rogue having much time to moon over Scott with Remy in the picture even if she'd want to--Remy's bound to keep her guessing/hopping. Glad you're enjoying the sarcastic guesses, they're probably one of my favorite things to write about this fic, even if they did come out a little weak in this letter. As for how they'll finally learn who the other is…I HAVE A PLAN! (Big ole grin) I think you'll like it when we get to it, but you're right in guessing that it probably won't be instantiations.  
Veronica Small: Aww, I'm so glad that my writing was able to cheer you up! Seriously, that means a lot to me. Glad you enjoyed the Churchill qutoes. I first learned them when I was a kid from my dad, and I just never forgot 'em 'cause they're so brilliantly rude and funny. Hope you enjoyed this bit as well!  
bored247: Well, I wouldn't want you to cause chaos! So this chap's for you! Hope you enjoy it!  
Nettlez: The majority of the story will be written in letter form, but I will be occasionally breaking from that, probably more and more once they actually _meet_. I'm really glad you're enjoying it, and that you appreciated my random Churchill quotes. Hope this chapt was up to par! Congrats on you're alevels!  
chicita: lol, I'm really glad you liked John's fiery dust bunnies of DOOM. They were fun for me too. I'm trying to get us to their meeting as soon as possible. Hope you enjoy the ride til then!  
Realtfarraige: Well, good, I'm glad I answered your question. :) lol, the end is nigh. Classic. And every time I read this "and Kitty's cooking ... a new class." I laughed out loud. So true. Can't wait to see you give into that plot bunnie and start writing! (That apt warming line was for you, from you, btw.) Glad you enjoyed those insults. (Gasp!) Burn off Remy's hair! The horror! Though something really should be done about that nasty soul patch he has in Evo… I'm really glad you're enjoying the insults--hey, if you think of any fork 'em over, because I'm running out on thinking stuff up for Rogue. Hmm, actually I just thought of one… I guess I just have a strange mind. Really glad you're enjoying them though! Thanks much for the tip on Hex Factor. I'm working from an online summary, so I'm kinda restricted. Here's a random 10th Kingdom question: Did you find that singing ring as ugly and annoying as I did? Ugh, I couldn't stand it.  
xmengirlzrule: lol, sorry that you can relate to the scary Pyro experience. At least Remy's gotten himself a new place to stay! Hope you enjoyed his bit as well!  
Chained2aMask: Hey, welcome back! Sorry it was boring. Glad you enjoyed the Pyro moment! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!  
AngelicFairy: Aw, glad you liked it. Yeah, wish I could have incorporated more of the whole 'hosts dealing with problems while guests are oblivious' into the letter, but I just blanked on it. Thanks for the tip on Hex Factor! It's much appreciated!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: eesh, guess she was! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing!  
Orion Kohaishu: That's OK! I think I owe you two reviews for your story anyway! (Hangs head in shame) and after being given such a cool award too! Sorry 'bout that! I'll get right on it! Anyways, glad you enjoyed this lot. (Grin) I'm glad you're enjoying my/Rogue's sarcasm. Thanks for the complement! Oh, I'm so glad you liked that line! I almost erased it, 'cause I wasn't sure if everyone would be able to get her distain, but then I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Glad you enjoyed Churchill--yeah, the man was brilliant. Thanks for the great review!


	12. Merry Christmas!

**Disclaimer**: I own neither X-Men Evolution or the song quoted in this chapter.

Written place shortly after "Angel's Wings."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas! Happy New Years! (Grin) I feel so original. I really should consider going into the greeting card business.

Well, I hope that you had a good as can be holiday. I'd definitely classify these last couple of weeks as a mixed bag. It's weird--living in a place like this, you're almost like a family--until the holidays, when one jarring divider comes: the ones that have families go home and the ones that don't stay. I hope that you were able to spend some time with your family this holiday. I know that things are messed up with your father, but I hope you were at least able to call home. Everyone was so glad to be going back to their families…that must be real nice to have. You've claimed that you're real sneaky upon occasion, so I hope you were able to put that to good use.

Ah, but don't cry for me, Argentina. I was looking forward to having the run of the house all by myself for two glorious weeks. Just imagine--no Kurt popping in unexpectedly, no Kitty blinding me with copious amounts of pink, no Evan skateboarding down the stairs and spilling milk all over my shirt, no Scott mooning after Jean, no Newbies attempting to commit suicide by bothering me, no Jean… So I'd be alone for the holidays--so what? What a wonderful present…

And then it just got better! For no real reason that I could see, other than the fact that they use a _lot_ of bleach in Hawaii, Scott couldn't go and visit his brother for Christmas. So it turns out that he has no where to go and has to stay at the school with me! Two weeks alone in the house with Scott and the teachers… Oh, the possibilities! I think I was nearly giddy.

It started out well enough, we were at the goodbye Christmas party, I gave him a present and Jean glowered at me. Bwa-ha-ha. (Cough cough) Excuse me, I probably enjoyed that far more than what's healthy. Anyway, everybody left. For the first time since I had got there, the house… was silent. It was nice. Very nice, actually.

But wait--it gets even better! The head of the school had some business in the city that he needed to take care of, but he was occupied by something of equal importance at the school. So who does he get to play courier for him? Why, Scott and me, of course! So now we get to go into the city during Christmas time and it's lovely and romantic even though it's _so frickin' cold_ I feel like my blood is turning to ice water whenever we're outside. Scott and I grab dinner at a diner and he really opens up to me, starts telling me stories about his childhood and whatnot. I'm on frickin' cloud nine.

Then we find the business associate that the prof sent us into the city to speak with. And--Remy--he's gorgeous, like an angel. I couldn't help but think that my Christmas had just gotten a little brighter, especially since I was able to help him out with some of the more pressing concerns on his mind. It seems that he was being pulled in a couple of different directions--the offer from the prof, a sort of 'forced bid' from a competitor, and dealing with the consequences of his own actions. I didn't do much, just helped him find a loophole out of the forced bid. (shrug) Sometimes people tend to overcomplicate things. I tend to have a straightforward approach to a problem, and in this case that was all that was needed. He didn't take the prof's offer either, but he said he'd keep an open mind.

And then he took us out on the town, and he was sweet and considerate and looked at me like he actually appreciated me. I can't say I didn't enjoy it. Scott was there and he was glowering at me with this 'angel,' and he started getting all protective and told him that we had to get going. I was invited to come back and visit him any time, and Scott grabbed my arm and started pulling me to the car. And I'm drinking it in because finally it seems like Scott is actually starting to look at me, and I'd had an all around fun night, and I was looking forward to what would happen when we got home. We're driving back and Scott starts talking about how he didn't like the way the guy was looking at me and that he was concerned, and just when I'm thinking that I should have played the jealousy card sooner, Scott has the nerve to tell me that he's only telling me this because he doesn't want me to get hurt--he doesn't want me to get my hopes up! After all, the prof's business associate is in his twenties with hundreds of options, why would he look at me? Gosh, thanks Fearless Leader. Allow me to spread some holiday spirit right back at ya.

Needless to say, I avoided Scott after that. I don't think he even noticed. He was too busy waiting around for a call from Jean.

Which brings me to why I don't like it that Jean's still with Duncan. I think I've mentioned before that I don't like it when people are playing with other people's hearts. Well, Jean's playing with three hearts--hers, Scott's, and Duncan's--if Duncan has a heart past all that overload of testosterone. And I _know_ she likes Scott. And he's fawning over her and--as truly pathetic as it is--I hate to see the fact that he's in pain. I would rather he would just get with her and be happy than stay like this holding out false hope to me. Though I'm pretty sure that he doesn't know he's doing it. He probably looks at me like a sister or something. Oh the joy.

Having the run of the school wasn't quite as fun as I thought it would be, after being burned during that whole city incident, _but_ I did get to spend some quality time in quiet and I've saved up the money I made doing odd jobs over vacation and managed to get myself a used guitar. I haven't been able to play since I ran away from home over a year ago. I missed it. And there was no one around to bug me about it! Now that everyone's back, the fact that I play is suddenly a big deal--they don't get that I like to play by myself, for myself. Would you believe that some of the Newbies wanted me to get together with them and play for a _sing-a-long_. Songs like "John Jacob Jinglehemer Smith" and "There's a hole in the bucket." You think I'm kidding. I thought they were too. I'm hiding my guitar now.

And soon it's back to school--I hate to say that I'm almost enjoying it. Anything is better than being trapped in this house with a bunch of hyperactive kids on a sugar-high from too many holiday sweets. They are _literally_ bouncing off the walls. It's frightening, I tell you!

(Reluctant smile) And funny as all get out, I have to admit.

If only I could go _outside!_ But it's still too frickin' _cold!_

And how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not playing strip poker with you. I don't care how irresistible you _think _you are, it's not gonna happen. Get it through your thick head.

Still, you played a good game yesterday, I enjoyed it--but Lady Luck was on your side again. It ain't my fault that you're a carney traveling from town to town, too isolated from normal society to be able to sit down and play a normal game of poker. Tell me, do you ever manage to get the smell of burnt popcorn and cotton candy out of your hair?

And you "can't wait to show me how true that is," huh? I have a feeling that there's something dirty in that statement, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it was. No, don't tell me. I don't want to know.

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

I didn't go back home, but I did get to meet up with my cousins and my brother and his fiancée about half-way between there and here. We had a ball. One day, I'd love for you to meet my family, _chere_--there's no one in the world quite like them. I got to beat my cousins in pool and watch Mercy get drunk off of eggnog and burn the wrapping paper off of presents. We have this tradition, my cousins, my brother and I--there's this one object that gets passed around every year and then stolen from the person who it was given to by someone else the week before Christmas and then given away to someone different. So, let's say that Lapin had been given the present last year, then one of us would have the week before Christmas to try and steal it back and give it to someone different. We only get one attempt at getting the present back, and if we fail we forfeit the chance to steal it that year. It's a great honor to be able to give the present, and a pain in the butt to guard it the week before Christmas. This year, Theo had managed to steal it from _mon frere_ and he gave it to me.

Do you want to know what the present is? I can tell you do. I'll tell you, but only if you give me your solemn word of honor that you won't mock it. It's a sacred tradition, _chere_ and deserves to be treated with all the respect that it warrants.

I also spent some time with the boys during this holiday--hadda talk John out of literally lighting up the big Christmas tree in the city. He thought it would be pretty. I really need to take tranquilizers with me when I take him out in public… Piotr was a bit gloomy--he missed his family. Can't say that I blame him. Holidays tend to bring out emotional extremes. Best avoided, if at all possible, _mais_, it's easy to use them for your advantage as well.

So, your holiday retreat sounded…interesting. I think you know my opinion of Scotty-boy by now, _mais_ in case you somehow missed it, let me make it plain: there is no way in hell that he is good enough for you. You're wasting your time on him.

Though I have to say his protectiveness in the face of a twenty-something man with lots of _options,_ as you so politely put it, was probably not completely unjustified. I know you're not stupid and can make up your own mind about people, and I know you've seen what it's like to be used before, _mais_ sometimes I worry that you're not careful enough, that you're so eager to see if anyone can be different than your previous experience that you overlook things. You've never gotten back to me about how you were doing with that little observation exercise, and thinking about that only increases my concern. I know the way men think, _cherie_--we ain't nice. As a rule we only protect what we care about and it takes something to earn that place.

Though the way that he said that he "didn't want you to get your hopes up" makes me want to punch him. There are words to describe the way that he's playing with you, but I don't think you'd want to read them. And I think he _is_ playing with you, Anna. No one can be as oblivious as you claim he is. Your attention is probably boosting his ego while he waits like a pansy for what's-her-name to notice that he's breathing.

Drop the jerk.

But as always, I know you'll do what you want. I'm just tired of hearing how stupid he is--not that this means that you should stop telling me what's going on with you, I'm not saying that--it just--well, as your friend it royally ticks me off the way he's treating you.

I didn't know you played the guitar, _chere_. Maybe you'll give me a demonstration after our poker game? Since we'll likely have already _bared all_ if it goes anything like our last game, you won't have anything to hide. I do look forward to that day… ;)

Unless it's true that you're just a "sensitive artist" who no one understands, so you've turned to the hard cold embrace of cards for comfort, but you have to play online because you can't stand being around people. That _would_ explain why you're so adamantly against playing with me.

And I know what you mean about how being outside is torturous in this cold. I'm like a bird--I should be able to fly south for the winter. I _hate_ the cold. _Mais_, I'm staying right here. So far, the boss still just wants us to be 'on call.' Sadly, he came back from the holidays in a foul mood. He's been working us twice as hard since then. The man doesn't take disappointment well. We're all staying out of his way for now.

See ya Wednesday, _cherie_.

Remy

PS: In case you don't know the song that I was referring to: Sensitive Artist by King Missle. It ain't as funny unless you know the whole joke:

I am a sensitive artist (X6)  
Nobody understands me because I am so deep.  
In my work, I make allusions to books that nobody else has read,  
Music that nobody else has heard,  
And art that nobody else has seen.  
I can't help it, because I am so much more intelligent and well-rounded  
Than everyone who surrounds me.  
I stopped watching tv when I was six months old  
Because it was so boring and stupid,  
And started reading books,  
And going to recitals and art galleries.  
I don't go to recitals any more,  
Because my hearing is too sensitive,  
And I don't go to art galleries anymore  
Because there are people there,  
And I can't deal with people,  
Because they don't understand me.  
I stay home, reading books that are beneath me,  
And working on my work, which no one understands.  
I am sensitive.  
Sensitive

Thought you'd appreciate it, _chere_. ;)

* * *

AN: this chapter was really fun for me to write. I just enjoyed Rogue's take on Christmas and Remy's family's holiday's traditions. Traditonal sum up: In Angel's Wings, there's a mutant playing vigilante in NYC--Warren Worthington III, Angel. The Prof sends Scott and Rogue to recruit him, and Magneto attempts to force Angel to join the Acolytes--only to be thwarted mostly by Rogue, who absorbs him and chases him through the city, and gets crashed into a building to be rescued by Angel. Then she helps talk him into fixing the mess that Magneto made of his Angel's reputation. Go Rogue! Scott didn't really do much, not even the "overprotective" stuff I had him pull, but he did talk to Rogue about his past and make pleasant conversation. Umm... go Scott? Poor Remy--he didn't know who to root for, the mysterious "gorgeous" older guy or Scott. What's a platonic uninterested emailer to do? Heh heh...Oh, and that song on the bottom is absolutely hilarious--it's basically some guy speaking those over really nasty sounding music. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed! 

Review Responses: Thanks reviewers! You're helping make this fun for me to write!

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this as well.  
Orion Kohaishu: Heh heh, I hope that you enjoyed Remy's reference to himself that he's concerned for her--as a friend. (cough denial cough) I can't believe that the person believed you--oh well, like PT Barnum said: a sucker is born every minute. But what can I say, once I fell for--hey, is gullible written on the ceiling? Well, I felt the strong temptation to glance up anyway. Lol, and I quite enjoyed the crazy wonderful review of DOOM and I hope you liked this chapter as well!  
Rogue238: Aww, yay, I'm glad your hubby's home! That's the best kind of surprise. I agree with you, Remy is one of the only people who can pull off arrogance _well_. Usually, it just makes me want to laugh at them, but somehow with him it's strangely appealing. Must be the accent. Lets him get away with murder. I don't blame you, I wouldn't want to stay in the same house as Pyro either. Hope you enjoyed this chapt as well! I'm not sure why, but I sure did!  
Nettlez: Sorry the site's givin' ya angst. I'm really glad you're enjoying the format, it's fun to write! Hmm, I haven't thought much past Apocy, to be honest with you--we'll have to see where the story takes me!  
bored247: Hmm, I don't think Rogue will take "disintegrate" to mean anything but a sarcastic: I ripped it out and made it disappear. The second half of Faust is--well, utterly devoid of any form of plot. But even if she did pick up on it, she's not gonna call him on it. Anyways, here's your update!  
Ish: Aww, thanks! Maniacal laughter does tend to make a good follow up to a nice DOOM. Oo, Kelsey Grammar's playing Beast? Rock! Yeah, Beast's a great character, I enjoy him. You're kidding, me, right? You've met people who think that "boi" is the correct spelling of the word? That's…horrid! Heh heh, oh, the things that these two don't know yet. Trust me, I'm going through this as fast as I can! (I think that there was _almost_ Romy in this chapter, not _real_ Romy, but more potential than I've put in the other ones--what do you think?) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!  
Realtfarraige: You're right, they don't go well in the same sentence. Heh, poor Rogue, her vacation with Scott all went kablewie with his obliviousness. Oh well, at least she got to flirt with Angel, that's gotta build a gal's self-esteem. You're probably right about Beast. Twinkies are like little round funnels of fake yellow cake filled with fake frosting/cream. You know, like the kind of fake frosting they have on fairy cakes except creamier? (Man, will I feel stupid if you already knew this.) They're a total sugar high. Personally, I've never liked them--I preferred the little devil's food cakes--mm, chocolate! I agree with you--Remy _would_ enjoy studying Shakespeare. And you're right about the metal pinballs--how scary is it that Remy prefers them to John's driving? Anyway, I really had fun with this chapter, hope you liked it too.  
Chained2aMask: Heh heh, glad you enjoyed Remy's deviousness. Yeah, I'm going quickly because I want to get to the fun part!  
heartsyhawk: I like your postit note! (Big grin!) I'm glad you liked my DOOM firebunnies. Hope Rogue talking to Remy about Jean answers your question. Thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoyed this one as well!  
AngelicFairy:I'm really glad you're enjoying the letters. I worried that they might become too repetitive, so I'm glad you like them. Yeah…now remember, I _am_ getting this story from my brother, but--well, let's just say that a lot of ditzy girls went to that school. (shakes head sadly)  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Yeah, the insults will come and go depending on how the characters feel at the moment. Hope you enjoy the chappie!


	13. Crush Crashing

**Disclaimer**: Believe it or not, I _still_ don't own X-Men Evolution.

Written place shortly after "African Storm" and "Joyride."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

Well, it's been another busy week here. I can't _wait_ to hear your opinion of this week's events, but first: I give my solemn word of honor that I will give your family tradition all the respect it warrants. Now tell! (Grin)

Let's see where to start…well, let's tell the long story first, it'll lead up to the part you'll appreciate most quite nicely. No skipping ahead! That's be like trying to see my hand, and I _know_ that you'd _never_ do anything like that. ;)

Kitty's "boyfriend" (she'd attempt to kill me if I didn't use the quotes--and then I might actually die laughing. The girl can _not_ make a decent threat; she spoils it by adding in a "totally." Honestly, how can you take someone seriously who says, "And then you'll be like totally _dead_!"?) has been really making an effort to straighten up for her--he's coming from a real rough background, and he's been known to act like a stupid idiot (as I have said before) and a hood, but he really wants to be with her. I've mentioned before that he's from the group of guys that I used to hang out with before accepting a place here at this school. Well, it's a real tight-knit group and they can't stand this place. So imagine my shock when I found out that he was willing to take a place here in order to be close to her. This was an intense move, considering all the grief he gave me about doing it--and I hate to say it, but I think my reason was just as good, if not better. But it was especially intense since he and Scott have a serious rivalry going on--he's always been the leader of the gang I was with before, and Scott kinda has that spot here, so whenever they got together in the same room I would have to open up a window for fear of suffocating from the testosterone build-up. So the fact that he was willing to come within a mile of Scott showed me exactly how much he wanted to make a real attempt at being with Kitty.

Sadly enough, even though Kit can see that he's there for her, she's kinda freaked out by the whole thing. She doesn't know what it's like, growing up when the option to be good is the option to look weak. And everyone at the school is giving the poor boy the cold shoulder, and they're all warning her against him--and she doesn't want to do anything just because she's pressured into it, either from the ones warning her away or from him being here. I can't blame her for that. He really did put a lot of pressure on her by showing up, it's almost as if his attempt to straighten out depended on whether or not she accepted him. So Kitty's been avoiding him.

And he won't really talk with me, probably because he feels guilty for giving me such a hard time when he's come to do the same thing. Which is fine with me, I see what he's doing and I respect it, but I'm not _quite_ willing to forget how he treated me like dirt for the past couple of months.

So who's company does he fall in with? Why, the Newbies of course! This was a bad thing, a very bad thing.

Have I mentioned my theory that the Newbies' section of the dorm has some sort of oxygen deficiency in it, causing a radical decrease in the production of brain cells that are responsible for anything remotely resembling common sense? No? Must have slipped my mind…

At first it wasn't too bad--the boy has a different style than the kind that Scott has made so prevalent here--I've mentioned that Scott's a straight-laced boy-scout, he's still learning that sometimes the best option is going around the rules. Heh, he's still learning that that _is_ an option. But that's the way things were always done in my old gang--take any advantage that you have and use it. So naturally, he was impressing the Newbies and earning giggles from Kitty, and driving Scott up the wall.

Understandably, the boy wanted to fit in. And the Newbies not being around when he's had some of his more spectacular fits of stupidity are more willing to give him a chance than the rest of us. Sadly, the way that they choose to initiate him is worthy of its own mention in the "Obviously A Bad Idea" category. Yes, it's that timeless classic: joyriding.

He wasn't even involved in it at first--the Newbies went off and took the van all by themselves, brilliant little instigators that they are. Surprise, surprise, they wrecked it--and guess who got the blame? But he didn't say anything, and neither did they. But I guess that still wasn't enough of a thrill--they had to go for the biggest, most expensive, and dangerous piece of equipment that we have. This time he tried to stop them--saved their lives, actually--but when they got back Scott lit into him like he was a starving man in front of Thanksgiving dinner. And he…stood there…and took it--until Kitty jumped in to defend him. He watched the two of them yell at each other and then he just left.

So now we get to what I'm sure will be your favorite part of the letter: you were right. Scott's a jerk. But not for the reasons you said. The boy's too clueless about any and every interpersonal relationship for me to believe that he's playing me. No, he's a jerk because of the way he acted towards Kitty's boy. You would think that when someone was _trying_ to go straight, the already-rigid would be encouraging. But instead, Scott was snippy, judgmental, superior, and obnoxious. The boy had a chance to get out of the crappy situation he was in and now because Scott led the "you're nothing but a two-bit thug who'll never change" brigade, he's been driven out and I don't think he'll ever come back. I never thought Scott would be so petty. It was one of the ugliest things I've ever seen.

So I am officially over it. I hope. Dear Lord, I would be the stupidest fool in the world to still like him after all of this. But sometimes…I just find it really hard…to let go.

And Kitty's not letting go either. I was so _proud_ of her when she stood up to Scott. She's the "sweet" one who everyone likes, and she's worked long and hard to get that position. Standing up against Scott could endanger that, and she didn't care. He left anyway--can't say I blame him. She's upset that he left, but she understands his reasons. And it takes some of that pressure off of her, even though the fact that he's back with the old gang adds on a whole different level of pressure. But Kitty's stubborn, if she figures out that he's what she wants, I know she'll go for it. I've got hope for things to work out, if he doesn't act like too spectacularly an idiot in the near future.

Anyway, change of topic. It was my birthday yesterday. I didn't tell anyone. Didn't want the big deal. But somehow, Kitty found out… and even after all the hell she was going through because of her boy leaving, she threw me a party. What's an anti-social gal to do? Why are there no "How to Escape Your Roommate" handbooks? (sigh) So I went and I smiled because it was sweet of her after all, and if I was like her I'd probably be thrilled to itty bitty bits and pieces. But as it was, I just felt really awkward. I don't like being the center of attention. They were all "how old are you?" How am I supposed to say that I don't know for sure, that it wasn't really my birthday but just the day I had been adopted, and I had to put _something_ down on the health insurance forms?

To my utmost shock--the kids got me presents. I really didn't know what to do. It was so…unexpected. Some of them were stupid gag gifts, sure, but others I could tell that they really put thought into it.

Jamie--he's the youngest kid here, probably around 12, cute kid--he bought me guitar strings! It was the sweetest thing…and then after I thanked him he gave me the puppy dog face and _begged_ me to play for him. And then I realized--I had been suckered. By a preteen. These children are evil, evil I tell you! So I stared at him for a minute…and then his lower lip actually started _quivering_…and I caved like a house of cards. It was pathetic, really. But I figure it can only happen so many more times. Now that I know how devious he is, I'll start building up an immunity to the puppy dog look. Like how Wesley started training himself on iocane powder. So I got out my baby and started strumming her--the kids were all shouting out requests, but I ignored them. Decided just to play something short and sweet--Tom Thumb's Ballad by Jeff LaQuatra. It's a pretty little classical piece that's all of 50 seconds. I think they were all astonished that I knew something other than Led Zepplin and Marilyn Manson. Well, everyone except for Kitty--I caught her going through my CDs the other day--music is one of my favorite escapes, so I'm definitely not limited to metal and hard rock. But it helps with the persona I've built up. I don't regret letting them see that there's more than they thought--I like keeping them guessing. I just hope that they stick to sneaking up on me to listen when I play instead of bugging me with requests. I really _don't_ like playing for people. It's too…intimate. At least if they sneak up, I can pretend like I don't notice them, and always change if I'm playing something that makes me…_feel_…or I could chase them off by throwing things. Yeah, that works too. (grin)

Have you ever noticed how a person's past just won't stay buried? Especially if there are people in the past who want to use you. It's like, if you don't kill them and drive a stake through their heart and burn the corpse, they'll always come back. I used to think that stuff like that just happened with me. But it's happened to someone else at this school now too. Fortunately, they had friends and family to help them out. It's really neat seeing how we can get each other's back--and it's nice to be that person who's able to get someone's back. I can't describe the feeling that it gives me, it's just…good. It fits. I like it.

ANYWAYS, this letter hopefully concludes the sad, sad story of my crush on Scott. If I start moaning after him at any time in the future, I give you full permission to kick my butt.

Man, I don't look forward to how much you are going to be gloating after reading this letter. As if it wasn't bad enough that you won last night. But what can I expect from a failed American Idol contestant who so humiliated himself on national television that he's holed up in his house and refuses to do anything that would remind him of his former aspirations? Good luck selling all those Barry Manilow CDs on ebay. ;)

Later,

Anna

XxXxX

Dear Anna,

You naughty little _fille_, you! How am I supposed to send you a wildly inappropriate birthday e-card if you don't tell me when your birthday is? I'm very disappointed in you, Anna. Oh well, I'll just have to make up for it double next year. Now that you've told me, there's no way I'm forgetting. I'll just have all this extra time to think up something…

Very well, _chere_, since you _swore_, I will let you in on the secret which no one outside the family has known except for you. I hope you realize what a privilege this is. The present that we steal and give to each other is…a stuffed bunny rabbit. It's missing one eye (happened on Theo's watch--we never let him forget it) and one of the ears constantly flops down. The _name_ of the rabbit is Fluffy. Lapin will tell you it's Poopsy, Henri will tell you it's Cottontail, Theo will tell you it's Star, Claude will say it's St. Nicky, and Etienne would have sworn it was Peter, but they are all wrong. The name of the bunny is Fluffy, and it is the sacred secret present of our family. Now you know.

I am relieved to see that you've finally come to your senses about Scotty-boy, especially since it happened in a situation where you didn't get hurt. Hope you don't mind me saying that it was about time. And I hope that you were paying attention to all that his actions revealed.

The fact that "Kitty's boy" stood up for the Newbies and even tried to protect them to his own detriment says something about him--it certainly shows how much he wants to be with your friend. But his willingness to take the blame for something he didn't do also indicates a "low self-esteem" for lack of a better term. If he gets her, he's gonna have a hard time believing that he's good enough for her. And I only hope that if he gets her, he'll continue to see her for the prize that she is instead of devaluing her simply because she accepted him. You've got to look at both sides of the coin, _cherie_, you miss too much if you only satisfy yourself with one possibility. I'd say to keep this in mind while you're practicing your poker skills, _mais_ I don't want to nag. :-P

I may just have to take you up on that offer to kick your butt, _chere_. _Mais_, if I had my way, I could think of much more interesting ways to distract you from the boy scout. Too bad most of them require us actually _meeting. _;)

I find the fact that you "find it hard to let go" even after someone has proven themselves unworthy of your affections intriguing. When you like someone you must like them deep, huh _chere_? I respect that. It's yet to happen to me with a _femme_ of course, but it's something that I understand very well with my family, especially with what's going on with _mon pere_. I've done all this just to get away from what he's planning…and I can't help thinking about him still. I know better than to be this way. I know that it's past time that I should cut off all emotional ties with him. But something in me…just can't. And I hate that, because I know I'm leaving myself vulnerable to him. And that's the last thing I need. I know better than this. _Mais,_ sometimes it's hard to act on what you know, _non_?

Ah, the puppy dog face, patented weapon of cute boys everywhere. Good luck building an immunity up to that one, _chere_--you're going to need it. Especially since, like sharks, once you show blood they'll go in for the kill. In fact, now that I know it works, I have an added weapon in my arsenal for convincing you to play strip poker with me when we meet. You should really be careful what you reveal in these letters, _cherie_. It is beautiful to see your heart shine through, _mais_, I hope you know how much you're letting me see.

I know what you mean about issues of the past resurfacing during the most…inconvenient times. Sadly, there are some things that you just can't kill, they're already done and there is nothing that you can do about it. You just have to accept it and do the best you can with what you've got left.

And just so you know, I've no reason to _gloat_, _cherie_. Just because you've finally come to the realization that I was right and that you should listen to everything I say as if it was gold and rubies dropping from my mouth, that doesn't mean I would _gloat_. _Mais_, I'm insulted that you think I would feel the need to do such a thing, just because I've been telling you since you've mentioned it that he wasn't good enough for you and it's taken you five long months to realize it yourself, why should I _gloat_? And there's no reason to gloat about the game last night, it's just about coming to the simple realization that I am the best--_still_ there's no reason to _gloat_, _cherie._ I'm shocked that you would think it of me. Shocked, I say. (Grin)

_Mais_, can I just say how much I love having my own apartment? _Ma tante _sent up all of my favorite things, along with some hard-to-find ingredients for cooking my world famous meals. I love being able to come back home after a long day of dealing with the craziness at work and just kicking back with some bourbon and some jazz. Plus, it makes a great place to take back company that I wouldn't want to share with the boys at the base. If you ever come to visit, Anna, that's where I'll take you. I don't mean nothing funny by that, I just think you would be a whole lot more comfortable there than with the loons I've been working with. 'Sides, it sounds to me like you have more than enough craziness at your house. The last thing you need is a dose of mine.

I'd tease you about not being an exhibitionist with your music, just 'cause it's so easy, _mais_ I know that if I do that the chances of getting you to play for me go down from slim to none. What with you being a sensitive artist and all. ;) Seriously though, I think I'll have to start working on my patented pout since I know it's a weak point with you--I'll have to talk you into one or the other sooner or later--_mais_ if my luck holds maybe you'll play both?

Though these considerations you're showing kind of conflict with my idea of you as a tiger trainer with a traveling circus who only plays online poker because she gets tired of talking to clowns all the time. I know that's one of the reasons why _I'm_ playing poker. You've no idea how much of a relief it is to talk to you, girl.

So anyway, happy belated day. You know, it doesn't really matter that yesterday wasn't your birthday--I'm just glad for an excuse to celebrate the fact that you're alive. I quite enjoy that fact. 'Sides, not knowing your real age adds a distinct shade of mystery to your character, at least that's what I've always told myself. Lol, _mon pere_ actually let me choose what day I wanted to be my birthday, though there wasn't much he could do about us not knowing the year. Guess what day I chose, _chere_. :)

Well _mon cherie_, that about wraps it up for now. Oh, and don't worry about what I'll have planned for your birthday next year. I wouldn't want you to be all filled with anticipation and suspense or anything like that.

Still can't believe you didn't tell me until after the fact. (shakes head disapprovingly)

See ya at the tables on Thursday, _chere_.

Remy

* * *

AN: Dang, it feels like _forever_ since I've updated this story… Sorry about that folks--my inspiration made like a banana and split. I'm trying my best to catch it again, but it's ap_peal_ is a slippery thing.  
For some strange reason, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of thieves. (Thus Claude calling the bunny St. Nicky.) Some of you may notice the "two steps forward three steps back" style of Remy's letter. The boy's nearly wetting himself with glee that "Anna's" over Scott and he's compensating…I don't know how _well_ he's compensating with attempting to both hide how happy he is and be open at the same time, but he's trying, and being Remy, the more he tries to hide the more innuendo he makes. I decided to squish these two episodes together b/c for one thing, I don't want Rogue mentioning Ororo's name to Remy--in fact, I'm trying to have her avoid saying a lot of names, b/c while Remy may be able to overlook Jean, Scott, Kitty, Kurt, Evan, Logan, and Jamie, if he starts hearing more names I don't see how it wouldn't set an alarm off in his head. Also, what's she gonna say about African Storm, some freaks were after her teacher because they wanted to control her mutant powers and take her back with them to Africa? I don't think so. 'Sides, it was sort of a private thing, and Rogue respects other people's privacy. I don't think I really need to sum-up Joyride except to say that the 'most dangerous' thing the NR took was the Blackbird, and that they would have gotten shot down by the military if it wasn't for Lance and Kitty. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this! 

Review Responses: Thanks for the reviews! You guys rock hard!

xmengirlzrule: Eek! I'm _so sorry_ I didn't get your review last chapter! I can't believe I didn't see it! Thousands of apologies. Glad you like their name-calling. I find it fun.  
Gulz hunzi9: LOL, aww, thanks, I'm really glad you're enjoying it. Yeah, things are gonna change after DoR. I'm really looking forward to being able to write that part…hope that it comes out OK. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy!  
mia126: Lol, I'm glad you liked John's ideas of adding to the Christmas Spirit! Well, here's the next chapter, sorry it took so long, but hey--at least Rogue dropped Scott!  
Nettlez: Happy Belated Birthday! I was going to try to get this out for you on that day, since I had planned on having Rogue's birthday during this letter anyway, but for some reason this chapter was like IMPOSSIBLE to write. Hope you enjoy it anyway!  
tigerfreako1: Lol, I'm really glad you're enjoying it! Sadly, I'm following the Evo timeline and that means I've got like 7 more chapters til DoR, and this was really the last one I could comfortably squeeze two in together. Hope you enjoyed it!  
heartsyhawk: Your post-its rock. Come to think of it, your stories rock too…how's Back In Diapers coming? I should probably get my own post-it notes. (Glances down guiltily) You know, I think last chapter was my favorite too. Yes, Duncan has issues… I hope Remy's holiday tradition doesn't disappoint! You know, you're probably right that Remy's right about Scott playing Rogue--'cause the girl was kind of obvious. But I've known boys to be just as oblivious, so I don't know… I don't know what to do about those author alerts, let me know if this one doesn't go through too and then I guess I'll contact ff.  
Rogue238: Good! Glad you enjoyed it! (Grin!) Hope you liked this one too!  
Veronica Small: I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I'm planning on having Rogue have a real eclectic taste in music, because I don't think she's the type to limit herself when it comes to something she can actually enjoy. Though she will have a universal hatred of pop that any good goth should have. Well, hope you had fun reading this one too. Thanks for the great review!  
bored247: Sorry about the late update for this one! Heh heh, you're right, the fact that Remy's boss is mad is all Rogue's fault…that is so amusing… (smirk) Thanks for pointing it out, I enjoyed it. (Grin)  
Alexis Ravenlockes: I'm really glad you're enjoying this story. Thanks for the kind words. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
Chained2aMask: Bwa-ha-ha, yes Remy's gettin' a wee bit possessive and a mite jealous…ah, jealous boys are so much fun to write. Hope that the present doesn't disappoint, it was the first thing that popped in my head and I couldn't think of anything better. In the cartoon, according to the profile I read, Rogue played the guitar. I made up how she got it, and anything else that has to do with the guitar in this fic.  
Dark Anime Love: Hmm, maybe a wee bit of jealousy on Remy's part, yes. ;) But he's hiding it rather well, right? Lol, anyway, hope that the present didn't disappoint, I like it anyway. Glad you're enjoying the story, thanks for reviewing!  
addtothenoise: It is SO your turn to update. (mock glares) Heh, glad you enjoyed the Scott/Angel controversy. Poor Remy, he just can't get a break. Thanks for the review, come again!  
Realtfarraige: Sigh--I know, I totally blew my updating streak wide open. Sorry L. You're right, Rogue acting giddy _would_ scare everyone. Heh heh, I'm glad you enjoyed the "forced bid." I was wracking my brain to try and describe what Magneto was doing… The new recruits have sincere suicidal tendencies, the way they keep bugging Rogue. Ugh, I agree, Rogue crushing on Angel would have been much more tolerable. Heh, it's not pink frilly lace underwear, but I hope you enjoyed the present revelation anyway. Lol, I like your reasons for John wanting to light up Rockefeller Center…You're right, Piotr did get a raw deal. Again, you're right--Remy's never gonna let the strip poker idea go. And now he's got another thing to bug her about…the girl's just giving him amunition, she really needs to stop. (But then that would be so less fun for us…) It's just a funny _sounding_ song as well--the music to it's wretched, but the lyrics make up for it. Hmm, I think you're right about Josh Holloway, but only with his hair long and scruffy. (Never seen lost, so I had to look him up.) They're making an X4? Interesting… They're just gonna keep putting off Gambit until the last one, because they know that thousands of us will go through anything just to see him in the movie.  
And may I just say that you have an excellent cyber-Mr.-Burns imitation?  
ishandahalf: I agree with you, Rogue having a crush on Scott IS embarrassing. Ooo, your review has given me evil thoughts about what to do after Remy and Rogue meet and Remy finds out that it was _Cyclops _Rogue had been crushing on all this time…I hope you're proud of yourself. Lol, glad you enjoyed the sing-along idea and the guild's 'tradition.' Lol, did you think Remy sounded jealous? And here I was going for 'platonic big-brotherly concern.' lol. Oh well, sneaky Cajun had to worm his own emotions in there anyway. Oh yes, his preaching to her about being careful is one of my _favorite_ things about writing this, because once he meets her…well…yeah, I'm shutting up now. But I'm having a lot of fun layering stuff in the letters that will come back to haunt them once they meet! Glad you liked the song, hope you enjoyed this chappie despite the rather embarrassing break from my quick updating. I can't help it, my plot bunny overdosed and I had to get him cloned.  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Hope you continue to!  
Dannonspring: According to the profile on "Beyond Evolution," Rogue played the guitar in Evo, so I'm just going with that. See, I'd tell you what I'm gonna do after they meet, but that would spoil the surprise. I will say that I'm not planning on completely abandoning the letter format, but it'll be spiced with other things too.  
simba317: I'm so sorry that I didn't get an update for SWD for you by the time you got back! I'll do my best to get one up by the time you come back from your family vacation. I'm almost scared to touch that story right now, though, 'cause I'm all intimated by the last chapter. In every camp, there's always that ONE GUY. Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed being around him, here's hoping that you don't kill him for his arrogance in real life. Real life arrogance is so…well, to me it's funny. I tend to laugh at boys who think they're all that. When it's not annoying me, that is. Sounds like a good revenge, very appropriate. I'm glad you had a great time!  
Aww, I'm so glad you're enjoying this story. It's really been a lot more fun writing it than I thought it would be. I'm glad you think they're building a strong connection. They're going to need it. Dust Bunnies of DOOM! It's just fun to type. Glad you liked it. Yes, and just think about how much _more_ they're going to be able to relate once Mystique blows her Risty thing. Jott is…well it is…what it is, I guess. Hmm, having Rogue play and write for Remy… Anyways, thanks a bunch for reviewing and telling me what you liked! I'm glad you liked what you liked! Enjoy your vacation!  
AngelicFairy: (Grin!) I'm glad you're enjoying their little accusations. They're fun. Thanks for stopping by!  
sakura5tar: Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed my bro's lil' practical joke. Anyway, thanks a bunch for the review and adding my story to your favs (I'm honored), hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!  
Kat: Thank you very much! I'm really glad you're enjoying it. Hope you continue to do so!  
chicita: Glad you think that I've got the characters down and that you're enjoying the story! Thanks again!  
punkrogue: (Grin!) Aww, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Looking forward to seeing YOUR next update as well. :0)  
CAT! Welcome back! (Presents you with a bouquet of lighters.) Now don't go doing anything Pyro wouldn't do! LOL, glad you liked the "Incredibly Brilliant Prankster" Oh--and I'm so relieved you're liking my Pyro--I was a little nervous about writing him because I've never done it before and you weren't around to tell me if I was doing an OK job or not, so I just had to keep going blindly…but now that you've said he's doing good, I'm all happy. I have a question--how can you hate malls but love The Gap? LOL, glad you enjoyed Churchill! Yay, the life rule! (Porky huh? Hmm…) Glad you enjoyed the Twinkie fetish (grin) yeah, I just had to put that in there. Umm, Scotty-_dog_? (Shakes head) Yes, Roguey did set herself up big time. Notice how she completely ignores that in the next letter? Much safer that way. Oh my gosh, you are so RIGHT! Someone totally must have spiked the eggnog, that is BRILLIANT! Wish I had thought of that…it bugged me that she was getting drunk on eggnog, but it just came out when I wrote so I put it in there anyway… (Grin) Glad you enjoyed the 'stealing present' Only six more episodes to DoR!


	14. The Undeniable Benifits of Leather

**Disclaimer**: I do not own X-Men Evolution

Written place shortly after "Walk on the Wild Side."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

Well, if you're going to attempt to leave me in suspense about what you plan for my birthday next year, allow me to return the favor by waiting on telling you just how much respect "Fluffy" warrants. 'Sides, I'm more disappointed that it'll take you over a year to think up something for me. (sniff. Sob. Sniff.) ;)

So you got to pick your own birthday and you want me to guess, hmm? Well, I'm guessing you chose Christmas because even then you thought you were God's gift to the women of the world? It's sad to see delusions take hold of someone so young…

So anyway, this week was…interesting. Let's see, where to start…well, first of all, I was treated to the distinct pleasure of watching Jean get all snippy with Scott. He was being all "I am the big man coming to the rescue so don't you worry your pretty little head about it." Ugh, more annoying words were never spoken. (I am _so_ over him.) OK, now don't get me wrong, there's definitely a place for chivalrous rescues, that whole knight in shining armor bit, but _first_ of all they should only be done when it's actually necessary and _secondly_ they need to be done in such a way that makes the girl feel _valued_ instead of like some helpless incompetent _thing_. And yes, there's a place for teamwork and I'm sure that if my life was in danger I wouldn't care _who_ rescued me, I'd just be glad to be out of there and frustrated with myself for being stupid enough to get caught. I guess my point is that it's_ not_ always the girls who need rescuing from the guys, more than half the time it's the other way around even if we're rescuing them from death by denseness. And for guys to act all macho and superior and as if we're unable to take care of ourselves…well, it's enough to make you want to scream.

Anyway, as I was saying, Jean got all snippy with Scott and then to top it off at school, her boyfriend came up to her and was all like "I got us tickets for the Sadie Hawkins dance." At which point she completely flipped out. Now, personally I think she was a overreacting a wee bit--after all, Duncan _is_ her boyfriend, he's got a right to assume that she's going to ask him to the dance--_but_ it was still highly amusing to watch her storm off saying, "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you guys to plan my life for me." Please, this girl is playing with both of them and _she's _insulted? Oh yes, I enjoyed that.

But anyway, after that Tabs and one of the Newbies got together and began doing some evil "girl power" plotting. They brought Jean in on the scheme--or maybe she barged in 'cause she was still all furious about the "Neanderthalic behavior of high school boys," I never was entirely clear on how this whole thing got started--then they recruited Kitty and she recruited me and we formed a little "Girls rule, boys drool" club. I felt like I was back in fifth grade, but it was _so much fun_. And of course, now that we're older, we can use…more mature methods…of making sure that the boys know they drool. Of course, the initial preparation involved shopping and dancing and lots of chocolate. Now, I don't usually enjoy shopping--especially with a group of girls whose style is so radically different from my own, but for the purpose of the 'club' they were more willing to take a walk on the wild side, and I actually found myself having fun _shopping_ with them. How was this possible? Well, let me just say that there's nothing quite like a bomber jacket and leather pants ensemble to change a gal's perspective on life. ;)

After we were all suitably prepared, we engaged in activities which I am double dare pinky sworn to never reveal upon pain of eternal separation from chocolate. Sorry, Rems. But I _am _authorized to offer my sincere reassurance that it was nothing illegal or kinky, so I do not want to hear any disgusting guesses, got it, bub? It was a hell of a good time though. :-)

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and we've tucked away our membership cards and secret codes for another time. We must content ourselves that we taught those "Neanderthalic hormone-driven, chauvinistic irritations" a lesson that they won't soon forget. So if we're smirking at each other a little as we pass each other in the halls or if there's suddenly a lot more friendliness between us, well, these are the remnants of being involved in a secret club.

And in all honesty, I'm shocked that Jean and Kitty had it in them.

Oh, here's something else I wanted to talk with you about: your warning to watch what I say when I'm talking with you. I'm not scared of you, Remy. Who else am I going to tell these things to except you? And I _know_ you feel the same way, otherwise why would you tell me that you're still trying to deal with what's going on with your father? Do you really want me to be as careful with you as I am with everyone else? And anyway, talking with you like this…it's just talk…there's no danger here--we're still just two strangers chattin'.

And as for using the puppy dog face on me--you're right, it is the weapon of choice for _cute _boys--I'm not worried. And I'm three times more stubborn than you are. There is no way that I will be playing strip poker with you. It's just not going to happen. You need to accept that and move on.

Oh, and about trusting me with the privilege of knowing about Fluffy, I would also like to note that your brother's girlfriend is not _technically_ part of the family, and it's obvious that she knows about this present since she was there. You tryin' to suggest something, Rems? (grin)

Ah, but you know it would never work. After all, I can't be expected to just pick up and leave and follow you into the Witness Protection Program--I'm proud of you for turning against the Mafia and all, and I understand how living in Podunk, Nebraska can drive you to obsessive gambling, but I really think that we're just better off as pen pals. ;)

Later,

Anna

XxXxX

Dear Anna,

I ain't _suggesting_ a thing, _chere_. Trust me, if I was making a move, you'd know. _Mais_ you must have been paying real close attention to what I was saying to pick that out--there something _you_ want to tell _me_?

_Non, _I didn't pick Christmas--thought about it, 'cause that way I felt sure I'd get at least one present, but I decided against it. Chose February fifth. Just liked the way it sounded. February is such a dull month anyway, I like to be able to liven it up.

I'm glad to see you letting the drama around you amuse you. I'd say "see how much better it is now that you're not pining over that boy scout," but I'd be afraid to be redundant or accused of _gloating_ again. Still, the situation you described _was _very amusing--it's quite enjoyable to watch people fly off in a tiff over the littlest things. I'm almost sorry I missed it.

But if I could respond to your rant for a bit--_chere_, it's obvious that Scott would be that way. Look at how he treated your friend's boyfriend. The boy obviously feels the need to prove that he's better than everyone around him. What better way than to protect the "little woman." Back where I'm from, we're taught to respect a lady, treat her with courtesy (open doors and such) but no one's fool enough to think that they're incompetent or weak. No one who grew up with _ma tante_ anyway. _Mais_, I have to say--and we've talked about it before--that with men we want to protect what is valuable to us. It's not a matter of me-strong, you-weak as it is that we'd rather be hurt ourselves than let anything harm those that we love. We're wired that way. _Mais_ sometimes that makes us a bit overprotective, makes us a bit overbearing--it's the fight or flight reflex, _chere. _ Plus, the thrill we get from keeping the _femmes _safe, the adoration in their eyes--_mais_, that's enough to make us want to play knight-on-a-black-Harley anytime. (White horses are so cliché, don't you agree, _cherie_?)

And I must agree with you, there's nothing quite like _seeing _a gal in a leather jacket and pants ensemble to help provide a shift of focus in life. I'm _very_ sorry that I missed _that_ show, _chere_.

More "mature methods of making sure that the boys know they drool." I would _love_ to have you elaborate on that one, _cherie. _Hmm…activities which you are "double dare pinky sworn to never reveal upon pain of eternal separation from chocolate," huh? That's a pretty severe oath, _chere. _You have managed to make me quite curious._ Mais_, for you, Anna, and since it was your birthday recently, I will hold back my speculations about what it was you were doing in such…_stimulating_ clothing and will take your reassurances to heart, though I have to say I'm slightly disappointed. Still, I have to ask you one question: "Bub?"

Oh, Anna, I have to tell you something, if I don't tell somebody I think I'm going to die from holding in my laughter. St. John is…a published romance author! No, seriously. I was headed to my room in the base and I passed by the door and heard him muttering. The sound of John muttering to himself is never a _good_ thing. So I open the door, and there he is hunched over his laptop trying to decide if this is something "Samantha" would do. He shakes his head and says, "No, no, but _Tiffany_ would do it. Damnit, now I have to restructure this entire chapter!" at first I was afraid that I was right about his split personality disorder--and his other two personalities were _femmes_. _Mais,_ then he started erasing documents, muttering curses the whole time, and I realized that he was _writing_.

Not only was he writing, but he had apparently been doing it for some time. He's got books in supermarket aisles and airport stands. I started to tease him about it a little and he absolutely flipped, and trust me, the boy does not need a reason to become anymore unstable.

So I can't spread it around. Johnny-boy threatened to flambé every single one of my cards if I did. He'd do it too. And I'd hate to have to take care of his corpse. _Mais, _I figure what's the harm in telling you? Since you're right, _chere_--we're still just two strangers chatting. Strange how that makes this one of the safest forms of communication.

It was a good game yesterday. I have to admit, I was surprised at how you bluffed me that last round. _Mais_, what else can I expect from a failed country music singer who had to move into the city and become an accountant in order to eat so the only way she can stay connected to her old life is to obsessively play online poker. Tell me, do you still wear sequins and fringe?

See you next Friday, _cherie_.

Remy

* * *

Dear All: Hello! Fancy meeting you here. All right, well Walking on the Wild Side was a little harder to write than I thought it would be, because, again, what's Rogue gonna say--yeah, I teamed up with a bunch of my friends to make an all-girl super-hero vigilante team? 'Sides, wasn't she sworn to secrecy about that as well? I hope I did it justice. 

_Story recommendation: _If you haven't already done so, why don't you check out addtothenoise's "Escape from Paradise." Every time she updates that story, I grin, so you might enjoy it as well.

Review Responses: Wow! We busted 200! That is SO COOL! Thanks guys, you're the best! (Sorry this review response section is so long...I just don't know what else to do.)

bored247: Glad you liked it. Here's a quicker update for ya! Enjoy!  
chicita: Eesh…I'd imagine the result of that little imagination would be two very dead hackers… (shudder)  
Rogue238: T'anks! Yes, trying to get there quickly…though a bit nervous about what happens once I actually get there! I hope the build up doesn't eclipse the actually meeting, that would really stink. L And I know you were looking forward to this chapter…I hope it was OK.  
Dark Anime Love: LOL, I'm _so glad_ you laughed. Yay! I'm glad it didn't disappoint. I quite enjoyed the gloating part as well. Hope you liked this chapter too!  
Nettlez: Umm, there's 5 more episodes til DoR, which is when he gives her his calling card. Oo, I'm glad you like their guesses, I loved the American Idol one as well. Thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoy!  
Cat2fat900: Heh, wow you're good with the humiliating nicknames. No. No relationship to Sabertooth. (shudders.) How could you even suggest such a thing? Poor Fluffy the bunny… Heh heh, you caught my hints of Romyness. Ooo, you're good, Cat, you're good. Anyways, thanks for the lovely review, and I hope you enjoyed!  
sakura5tar: Good Question.I've got a couple of reasons for why Rogue is avoiding telling Remy about how her 'observation techniques' are going. One of them is because even though she's doing it, she's not comfortable doing it--it makes her feel as if she's preparing to manipulate everyone around her and that's something that she's desperately trying _not_ to do--it's hard enough that she already knows everyone's life stories from the inside. And also, she's cautious about why Remy wants her to do this--it sounds too much like training to her--so she wants him ignorant of how much or how little she's doing it. But she's only up to about two hours now, anyway. Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this as well!  
ishandahalf: Is it wrong that I find it funny that even though you got to the story in the middle of the day it STILL interrupted your sleeping time? Glad you enjoyed my recounting of the Lance saga--yes, it's about stinkin' time she realized that she was not meant to be with a boy scout. Doesn't mean she won't have occasional regressions. 'Cause crushes are really hard to get over when you're around the guy day in and day out. Well, you know what, I'm tempted to not comfort you about the ideas your review game me re: Gambit and Cyke since you're making Carol be all _alive_ and all, but since I'm not sure it'll get put in the story anyway, I'll just tell you that it involved Remy's fist and Scott's face having a personal _connection_. Oo, you enjoyed all my favorite parts of the last chapter--good. Hope you enjoyed this one too.  
punkrogue: (Grin!) Good, I'm glad you loved the bunny! Thanks so much! Looking forward to seeing your next chappy.  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Sigh, I know, I want them to meet soon too…  
xmengirlzrule: I am also afraid of what he would have sent her if he had known. Thus--why he didn't know. Or send her a belated card. Lol, anyway, thanks, glad you enjoyed the chappy.  
Veronica Small: LOL, Scott the Gap model…poor Rogue. I've got my own theory on why Rogue went Goth, and I'm hoping to incorporate it into the story so I'm not gonna write it here, but I agree--Rogue's too rogue to let stereotypes limit her. Aww, really, you liked St. Nicky? How cool! That makes me grin. Heh, I'm glad you liked the gloating bit, it was one of my favs. Hmm, I don't know Anna's zodiak sign--not really into that stuff, don't even know mine--but I'm guessing her b-day was late January. Happy almost birthday to you! Heh, you were not alone in guessing Remy's b-day be 2/14, but for some reason, I just liked Feb fifth…I'm really glad you're enjoying my story, thanks for reviewing!  
Realtfarraige: Heya! I'm glad you agreed with my not putting in Ororo's name (plus I'm planning on keeping in their whole comic-book-friendship thing) and with my laughing at Kitty's threats. "Unless she's threatening to feed you." ROFL. That's just great--I may have to use that someday. You're right--moving in with Scott and Logan takes…well, something serious, anyways. Yeah, Scott irritated me a lot with the way he treated Lance. I agree, the lower lip quiver is deadly. The Lance analyzation bit is all about Remy employing his observation. I see him as being an extraordinarily keen observer of human nature from all sides and that he would be all about how to use that to his advantage. He's trying to get Rogue to be that way too, to protect her, but she doesn't want to be that jaded yet. Glad you enjoyed the AI reject bit--I think that was one of my better insults. Yeah, SO much of this stuff is gonna come back and haunt her once they meet. As if Remy wouldn't work the pout anyway, but now… Yeah, he's talking about Sabes and Belladonna stuff. Ah-ha, you know another reviewer thought about V-day too, but I figured that he was just a kid and wouldn't be thinking that way…then I wanted to put his b-day as Feb 15th in honor of Ishandahalf's great story, but for some reason Feb 5th just felt right to me. Rogue's just doding the whole meeting question--she doesn't want to do it, so she's glossing over it. Don't worry, though, he's not gonna escape with that comment unscathed. Anyway, I'm really glad you liked it--your review rocked, as always--I hope you give into your plot bunny soon.  
Orion Kohaishu: I SO owe you reviews, I'm so sorry! I'll get on them tomorrow, promise! Yeah, I couldn't help but put in the iocaine powder line--it just fit. What can I say, I love referencing that movie. It makes me happy. Lol, glad you liked Kitty threatening Rogue.  
Hmm, I have _no idea _what the mutant equivelent of a Darwin award would be…that's bugging me now…  
mia126: Thanks a bunch for the great review! Heh, I'm glad you liked my inspiration bit--I know it was incredibly cheesy, but at least someone appreciated it! Thanks again!  
addtothenoise: Egad! The nerve of FF, not letting you review! It ought to be ashamed of itself! Yeah, so I updated, now it's your turn! (Note the plug I gave your story? Now don't you feel like you just _have_ to write another chapter? Don't ya? Huh, huh? Lol, hope you didn't mind, I just really enjoy your writing and hoped to be able to make it so that others can too.)  
evolutionstripes: Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying this story! Yours is pretty great too!  
wrapped in banana foil: Lizbeth! Hey! Great to see you here! Thanks for not being mad at me for my little distraction, I'm not abandoning SWD, I promise. I'll update before the turn of the month, I hope. Anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying this story and hope that you continue to do so!  
Lyra Eyota: I also love the Princess Bride. It's one of the best movies of all time. Thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapter!  
Chained2aMaskI am proud of myself! (Grin) Glad you loved it. LOL, you made me look at that quote in a whole new way. I'm glad you liked Fluffy the bunny--for some reason, he was all I could see when I was trying to figure out the gifts. AH! "Like" threats! Must…update… Enjoy!  
Synalm Halomyn-Faerie Queen: Thanks very much! Glad you're enjoying it and I hope you continue to do so!  
Er: Thanks for the encouraging words. I'm working out some plot wrinkles on SWD, but don't worry, it'll be coming back soon.  
heartsyhawk: I love your postit notes. LOL, I'm glad you liked Fluffy and Remy's insistance--you can tell the boys get into some fights about that, neh? Yay, I'm so glad that the LeBeau family secret gift didn't disappoint. I _hope_ that the part where they discover who the other is is funny…it's partially written right now, and I know _I'm_ looking forward to it, but then, I'm biased. Glad to hear BID's coming along well! Yeah, you're probably right about Scott, but I'm sure that Rogue won't want to think that way. Thanks for the great review!  
Eileen-Played-Catch-Up: Hey! So glad to see you! Wanna hear something funny? Well, you've no real choice unless you stop reading…Last night, just as I was getting ready to go to bed, a little review alert popped up on my screen. I had just been looking over your SS update again and thought--wouldn't it be great if that was Eileen? And it WAS. And I was happy. (Though you didn't check out Stolen Hearts--just not enough time last night?) Anyways, I'm glad to hear about your escape from Crimsonia (you know, I looked up that word on Google because I'm a geek and wasn't sure if it was real or not), though I thought that we discussed your smuggling Saltines and that you were at least going to move up to Ritz or Cheese-Itz. I mean, if you're gonna get busted, it might as well be for quality. OK, now to respond: Yeah, Remy was talking about Sabertooth. Glad you love those lines, they're some of my favorite things to write. I know, lots of people like the Gap--I personally am attracted to half-price sales _anywhere_, but Rogue's anti-Gap, so I figured it would work for her. Lol! I'm glad you enjoyed St John and the Fiery Dust Bunnies--sniff--my little words all grown up and falling in love. I'm so proud! I love Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, it's a great movie. Yeah, finals are scary… Glad that you're also irritated about Jean being with Duncan. You're right, I probably should have made Rogue more smitten--but I think that at the end of the day she was more miffed about "what Scott said" than thinking about how cute Warren was, and so that's what she was writing to Remy about.  
As for Literate Remy, I figure the boy's been trained to know all sorts of art and pass himself off in high society, so he's gotta have a somewhat classical education. Apologies for the introduction of John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith into your head. Yeah, I can't help but feel like I'm giving Scott a raw deal in this story, but I have to stick with what I recall from the show and I hated how he treated Lance in that episode…if I recall correctly…anyway, you're right, being in charge stinks. Did Scott actually spend time on the streets, or was he put in foster care right away? Glad you liked the presents bit. Thanks for taking the time to review all the chapters! I'm really glad you enjoyed them. Cute with the kids getting her presents.


	15. Fighting Rebirth

**Disclaimer**: Despite my long absence, I still have not wrested the ownership of any form of X-Men from Marvel. Apparently they don't respond well to the silent treatment.

Written place shortly after Project Rebirth

* * *

Dear Remy, 

Nah, sugar, I'm not paying any special attention to your letters--no more attention than a sneaky underhanded card shark deserves, anyway. I swear that you didn't have that ace when the hand was dealt. What with your two dollar bet? The heck you were dealt a straight. Nice attempt, really. Too bad it was oh-so-futile. :)

Still, I have to say: bravo. I appreciate the restraint you showed in the last letter--I realized after I sent it that hinting at the things that I did was probably going to be one of my more spectacular miscalculations, right up there with hinting at strip poker in the most vague terms imaginable. I'm so glad I didn't need to find a way to come through the computer and kill you. Honestly, you showed yourself more of a gentleman than I thought--living up to the ideals you spouted in a way that makes me take them almost seriously since you backed down. I must say, I'm suitably impressed. Now if you would only stop treatin' gals like an all-you-can-eat-buffet, I wouldn't have to worry about you at all. :)

Did I really type "Bub?" (goes back and checks letter) Oh boy, I did, didn't I? Well, I blame Logan. The self-defense instructor at the school, remember? We've been spending a lot of time together recently--well, when I say "_a lot_" I mean the time slot between 5 and 6 am or 7 and 8 pm (depending on the day) where I get one-on-one training in hand to hand. "Bub" is the universal name for when he's miffed--which is most of the time, and especially in the early morning before he beats the snot out of me. Of course, after that he gets back to his little "endearments"--I swear he's got an alternate name for everyone in this school. Jean is "Red," Kitty's "Half-Pint," Kurt is "Elf" (don't ask), and anyway, that's enough of that.

Is it weird that I'm into fighting? I just…love the _feel_ of the form and the contact and the control that it gives me over my body… It's something that I can _do_ even when everything else is spinning out of control, so it's not like I plan on stopping, even if it _is_ weird. It just feels too _good_ to know in the middle of everything else that's crazy that if I got myself into a rotten situation I could take care of myself. It's just, well, I overheard something the other day that made me…well, I know that it was no big deal and that I probably shouldn't care, but they way that she _looked_ at me when she saw that I was headed down to the gym to practice, the way she thought it was "so sad" and really wished that I had "better things to do_"_ with my time…I mean, I don't care, I really don't, but--oh just forget it. I don't care what they think. It's something that I can do and I'm going to keep on doing it and I don't care what anyone says or how much of an undesirable tomboy it makes me. I like it. Heh, Logan says that it's cause I'm a natural, but I think he just uses that as an excuse to work me harder. It's all good, though.

I can't say that there are many adults in my life who understand me, but Logan and I--we've got respect for each other. Despite the fact that he kicks my butt on a regular basis.

I have to say that there are some definite uses to being friendly with someone who's older than you. For example, you get to meet so many interesting people, go interesting places… Logan's friends with a bunch of WWII war veterans, due to his previous military experience, and he took me and Kurt to a reunion of sorts with his old acquaintances. We got to have a real behind the scenes look at some of the things the government was doing during that time. It would have made great research for my history paper, sadly we had to sign our lives away and can not reveal the secrets witnessed upon pain of death by legal paper cuts.

Still, it was well worth the trip, even though the little "mission" we got to go on didn't go as well as I would have liked. It's very frustrating when you do the best you can to get something done and someone on your team has the chance to finish it off and then--he doesn't. It's along the lines of same sort of frustration I feel when I'm watching TV and it's a good guy/bad guy scenerio and the good guy has a gun and has the bad guy at his mercy, but because he's the _good guy_ he lets the bad guy live--just ties him up. PUH-lease. Shoot the stinkin' bad guy! You just know that's gonna come back and haunt you later. If you can't bring yourself to kill a "defenseless" man, at least cap him in both knees and then throw him some bandages, I mean, c'mon at least that way he won't be able to follow you and screw up your plans at the last minute. I sound so heartless. I'm not, really, it's just that when someone has sworn to kill you or take over the world or commit terrorist activities and has a pattern of behavior to back up those commitments, _why allow the person to do that time and time again when you have the option to shut him down_? Ah, but bad guys are smart. They know how to manipulate the good guy's conscience. After all, there is a thin line between being a hero and stepping over and being a murderer. I know that. I _know_ that. But that doesn't mean that you should let them do whatever they want to either. Thus the Punisher, I suppose.

Plus, after talking to various vets all week, I'm starting to absorb the kill-or-be-killed mentality. That would freak the prof out--he's a total pacifist. Logan wouldn't like it much either--even though that's very much the way that he is, he's trying to raise us 'better,' I guess.

Not that this makes much difference. After all, it's all on TV right? Anyway, what was I saying…right, I got to talk with some soldiers who had rescued people from the concentration camps during WWII. That was an intense experience. Sometimes it's so hard to believe that that actually _happened_ that human beings would actually _do_ that to each other…sometimes, it's not hard to believe at all. The world stinks.

Dang, I'm depressing. Well, to sum up, although our "mission" wasn't a _total_ success, at least the "main objective" was achieved. Heh, I like hanging out with vets. They have cool lingo. "The tango's on the fourth floor" or "Don't forget to KISS," (Keep It Simple, Stupid) or "Getting up at zero-dark-thirty." Yes, I definitely like the military lingo.

And hey--we got to play with "explosives" and make things go boom! That was fun.

So, a good time was has by all…except for what we blew up, but you know, that's OK with me.

Did you like the e-card I sent you? I'm sure it wasn't quite up to your standards of _inappropriateness_, but I thought that the _fluffy_ pink bunnies and little sparkles just screamed 'Remy.' I hope that you found it sufficiently inappropriate. ;)

So happy Alive Day to you. After all, in this world every day you're alive is a day to celebrate. Aww, look at me getting all cynical and whatnot. That's what I get for hanging around vets. Or maybe that's _why_ I hang out with vets…hmm, thoughts to ponder. Anyway, I hope you had a good day.

It was a good solid try yesterday, Remy, it really was. But I was all charged up from hanging with the vets and their stories of how they played poker in airplanes before they had to drop out without parachutes (and they walked up hill to school both ways barefoot in the snow with werewolves nipping at their heels), so really, I had to wipe the table with you. For the sake of all those soldiers. Yeah. But like I said, it wasn't a bad attempt for some Trekie who's just practicing poker in hopes of someday playing a game with Riker and Data.

Anyways, I want to get some poogie bait from the slop chute before the homework piles up til I'm all asses and elbows to attain JEEP. :-D

Again, I hope that you had a great Alive Day and that this year is good to you.

Later,

Anna

PS: Can you tell me what name John writes under? Kitty reads a new romance every week, and I think it would be a hoot to get her one written by your resident pyro. :)

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Aww, _chere_ I'm flattered that you remembered my birthday. Alive Day, huh? I think I like it… I thought that the e-card was cute, even though Fluffy got a little too happy at seeing all of the pink bunnies with sparkles. He's a very male stuffed bunny rabbit, after all. In the same token, I wouldn't have objected to you sending me a little certificate of agreement about a certain game that you _know_ you're going to end up playing with me anyway, despite what you say or how long it takes. Really, I think you might as well agree now. It'll be so much more fun to do while we're young than if you cave in when we're in our eighties.

About this fighting thing now--first of all you don't need to be worried about being upset about whatever idiot thing the person said. It's normal to get upset, so don't beat yourself up over it. Just shake it off. It seems like you're doing that, so good. Second of all, where the heck would you get the idea that learning how to fight would make you undesirable? I _know_ you're not talking about the effects fighting has on your body, because I really _don't_ think you want me to go in detail about how the physical discipline affects the feminine figure. Honestly, who the hell do you live with? It sounds to me like they don't have their heads screwed on straight. Ridiculous.

In fact, you're just giving me all the more ideas of things to do should we ever actually meet. You're good? So am I. Maybe I can kick some frickin' sense into you for listening to these idiots. Honestly, _chere_ I thought you had more sense than to let yourself get hurt over something like that. Or maybe I'll just have to take it easy on you, taking into consideration that you're of the 'weaker sex' after all. (rolls eyes) Not to risk repeating myself, but the people you're staying with really need to get a clue. Heh, the last serious fight I had was with a girl out to kill me. And before you ask what I did, it wasn't my fault! She was just pissed about some plans our families were making. It was a good fight though…

To sum up, I think your fighting's sexy and I'll have to make sure to give you fair warning before we meet because I am expecting a sparring match, guitar solo, and strip poker game. Want you to be in top form, _chere_, can't wait to see how spoiled I can be. ;) 'Course if you fight like you play, I'll likely be black and blue from head to toe--then you'll have to nurse me back to health, of course. Hmm, this is just sounding better and better…

My boss took one of the boys and went out on a job this weekend. He's not very happy about the way things turned out either. His "main objective" was also achieved, but his alternative goals were totally blown away. It has not been fun at the base recently, let me tell you. So I've been staying out more. Man, I miss New Orleans. This little hick town I'm in has nothing on the Big Easy. If there's one thing I hate about this job besides _certain company_, it's that the boss really likes keeping us in the dark. He'll never say if he wants us to do something or not until the last possible minute, so I have to stay around the base just in case I'm needed, and then once he _does_ have a job for us, he only tells us a skeleton outline of the plan. This leaves me with no room for flexibility, and not that his plans aren't well thought out, it's just that it would be so much easier if I was given a list of objectives and told to do it my own way. Been working on my own too long I guess. Working this way…makes me feel like a lackey. It's no fun, _chere._ (pouts)

Your little trip with Logan sounds like fun. Hanging out with military vets, eh? You do realize that you made me look up all those words at the end of your letter. _Ce n'est pas très gentil, chere. Vous devriez avoir honte de vous-même._ Course, you might start worrying me, all this hanging out with all these older men and blowing things up. Noticed that you didn't tell me what Logan calls _you, chere. _:)_  
_

And thanks for the birthday wishes. Didn't get to go and see my family, but I picked up a load of stuff from the post office, including a little webcam so that they could see it when I opened up presents. Lapin got me one of those cans with the snakes that pop out of it. Again. He gets something with snakes popping out of it for me every year, ever since I started the first time he did it--what was I supposed to do? I was eight years old and had never seen the thing before! I think it's getting a little ridiculous now. But that wasn't the worst gag gift--Mercy got me a tie. A _tie_. She said it was in case I ever quit my day job. Ah, my family. I don't know what to do with them. I mean, I don't know what I'd do _without_ them. Yeah, that's it...

Here's a thought: maybe I should hook up the webcam when we're playing, what do you think? You can get one too and we can leave them on a sidebar so I can finally see that famous poker face of yours. Unless, of course, you're not a real person at all--you're a Linux supported AI set up specifically to challenge me at poker and taunt me by any means necessary. Ah-ha! Now we finally come to the truth of why you're able to beat me. I bet Lapin set you up, didn't he? Oh, he is _so_ going down.

Game on Friday. See you then, _chere_. And take care of yourself.

Remy

PS. John writes with the name Joan Thyce Allendirs. I guess he figures that romance novels should be written under a woman's name, or maybe he's just attempting to hide his identity or something…

* * *

Translations: That's not very nice, dear. You should be ashamed of yourself. Poogie bait--junk food; slop chute: a place to buy poogie bait; asses and elbows to work very hard as in: all I want to see are asses and elbows; JEEP: Just Enough Education to Pass. 

AN: She's ALIVE! Sorry everyone, I know I haven't updated in forever…it's not been a fun couple of weeks for me, but today I've sat down with the intention of doing nothing but writing and cleaning. So: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: For those of you who are patiently waiting for another update in Shall We Dance, I _promise_ that you will get one no later than Monday. I'm going to be working on it for the rest of the night and into tomorrow, so you go ahead and reread it so that you can remember the story! (Hangs head in shame) So sorry about that, everyone.  
OK, sum up of Project Rebirth: Basically Wolverine is older than he looks and he and Captain America rescued Magneto from a POW camp in WWII and now Project Rebirth has been stolen by Magneto and he wants to use it to keep himself eternally young, so Wolvie, Rogue, and Kurt go to stop him, but Wolvie gets distracted by Sabertooth, Rogue and Kurt are incapacitated by some of Magneto's metal work but Kurt ports out and is about to plant the bomb when Mags uses bad guy psychology and tells Kurt that he'd be "destroying his one chance" and be "just like his mother" at which point I am like what the heck--the only chance you're wrecking is Mags' attempt at eternal youth and you would so NOT be like your mother to stop that because you're just stopping a bad guy, but anyway, back to summary--Kurt lets him do it, Mags becomes all young and spry, Wolvie KOs Sabey and plants a bomb destroying Rebirth, Mags throws a hissy fit and gets our heroes in his evil grasp but then decides to let them go because Kurt let him use rebirth and evil villains rarely make sense. And in the end, we see Wolvie visiting the Cap in a cryogenic chamber and it's all: aww. Also in this episode, we get foreshadowing that the secret of mutants can not be hidden for long. Oh, and we get to see Nick Fury, who's always fun.  
Anyway, I'm not all that happy with this chapter, especially since Rogue was a major player and I wasn't able to talk about what she did, though I like my idea of them visiting the vets and playing war games much better than my original idea of a camping trip. And I got to use military lingo! So, I decided to put it up anyway. Oh, so if Rogue seems hurt about the fighting thing--good, just imagine your least favorite X-girl gossiping about her, I'm not pinning it on anyone, and if Remy sounds angry at Rogue--well, he is angry, but not at her. He's angry at the person who hurt her. But she didn't even give him a name, so he's taking it out the only way that he sees that he can. I'm determined to get to the part where they actually meet by my birthday, which is on the 22nd. So here's hoping… that you enjoyed and that I'm able to update soon!

For your random outtake enjoyment: Take one of Rogue's response to Remy's comment on how she pays close attention to his letters: "Yes, I pay very close attention to your letters. I print them out and keep them in a special box so that after I've collected enough samples of your thought patterns I can send them to a voodoo witch and have her cast a spell that will make you mine forever because you're just so dang irresistible. (rolls eyes)"

Review Responses:  
Dear all--you're wonderful! Thank you so much for all of your encouragement. I'm only allowing myself 15 minutes for review responses (because I want to go write SWD and a secret project that y'all will see soon), so they might be shorter or unbalanced, but I've got to say I appreciate all of you reviewing SO MUCH. Thank you!

Eileen: Glad you liked the Christmas bit, though I agree that having the birthday on Christmas tends to be more of a rip off htan a blessing. Yes, you're right--the lady doth protest too much, but at least she's trying. Hope that your Saltine smuggling and scholastically induced darkness is doing well!  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: So true. Oh well. Thanks for the review!  
Sakura5tar: LOL, well I'm glad that you didn't spend money to gamble away or download nasty viruses, though the fact that my story _might _have encouraged you to check out the online poker scene is kinda cool…  
Mia126: Yes, boys are extremely dense. I'm glad you liked those parts, I had fun with them. Sorry about the delay, hope to make up for it with future updates…  
Addtothenoise: Umm…tag? Heh heh…yeah, sorry about the longish wait and whatnot. I've been hiding from fanfics recently, I'm SO looking forward to reading your stuff after I post this…thanks for the congrats!  
CAT: You SO rock, thank you so much for the congrats--you were my very first reviewer ever, you know. Yeah, Amara was a bit of a shocker, but she strikes me as a very much go-with-the-flow kinda gal and DANG, I'm losing time, I've got to go but sadly, no, Rogue wasn't hinting Remy was cute, she was saying that she wasn't worried because he wasn't cute…oh man is she in for a surprise. Anyway, you rock, thank you, thank you!  
Bored247--Yeah, that's something I keep bumping into. Thanks so much!  
Nettlez--Aww, thank you. Totally agree with you about the leather thing, I mean sheesh. Yes, strip poker is a reoccurring theme…but that's Remy for you.  
heartsyhawk: Yay! Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked that whole Pryo thing and I think that last chapter was fun too. Sorry about the delay, hope this chapts' ok.  
Rogue238: Happy belated birthday to your daughter! I'm glad that you're still enjoying the story--I've gotta check out Rogue Bride, I'm sure it's grand--you ever read the PB book?  
xmengirlzrule: I agree. But sometimes chivalry makes an unexpected comeback. At least I think protectiveness when it counts is a pretty universal thing. Thanks for stopping by!  
wrapped in banana foil: I now want to go back and rename one of the bunny names Chocolate. That's a great bunny name. THOUSANDS of apologies for SWD, but it's coming soon! Thanks so much for your review, I'm glad that you enjoyed it!  
Arin Ross--Aww, thank you so much! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it. Glad you like the insults and innuendo, somehow that stuff just comes naturally with these two. Ha! Fluffy! Glad you liked that part, it's one of my favs. Thanks for reviewing!  
punkrogue: Glad you liked the chocolate oath and bunny bit. Did I miss your next chapter in my ff hiatus? Hoped you liked this one!  
ishandahalf: Well, I'm glad the chapter was OK, every time I see the video clip of Rogue and them dancing in the mall, I get a little weirded out…Rogue dancing around Jean in a circle…yeah, weird, anyway--heh, glad you were able to get good envisioning and yes sometimes it IS fun to taunt characters I'm glad you enjoyed Remy's responses, it was such a 'good guy' thing, yeah, motorcycle and I can't promise about Remy's fist and Scott's face, but I do think it would be fun so we'll see and now I have to stop writing because I've already been at this for ten minutes and I really need to hurry! Thanks for the review, as always!  
evolution stripes--Sorry about the large delay; I didn't make up Pyro writing romance novels, though, thanks for the complement. That's canon. (I learned that through FF:))  
Atzlanit: GOOD, I'm glad you find it fun, 'cause that's what I'm going for and what I (usually) have writing it. Thanks so much for your review!  
Realtfarraige: Your reviews always rock! This one was no exception--I agree with you about being cheated of presents. Ugh, I know--my personal position on that stuff is, yes, men and women are different--just look at our anatomy--and yes, that means we have different strengths and weaknesses, but that doesn't mean that one of us is _better_ than the other so treat me with respect and as your equal and I will do the same. Girls rule clubs are fun though--I agree with you about the slicked back hair, it was just like WHY? LOL, I'm glad you liked my threat. Yeah, I had her put that in there partially because I was afraid of writing his speculations…somehow I don't think he would have stopped…Augh, must stop writing review response! But first, I just want to say that you have NO IDEA how much I've wanted to call him swamp rat for SO LONG it's just that she doesn't know where he's from yet. I'm really looking forward to when that finally happens. Oh yes, weirdness galore when they finally realize who they've been talking with…agree with you about the control Scott thing and wasn't I supposed to stop writing by now? If I left something out that I wanted to say, I'll respond to it in your review in the next one, thank you so much for your wonderful review!  
Chained2aMask: LOL, so glad you liked it, but hey, don't dispair if there wasn't romances there's always all those internet sights with cheesy pickup lines like: Do you believe in love at first sight or do I have to walk by again!  
Dark Anime Love: Aww, I'm so glad you liked it, thank you so much! I'm really glad that it's making you laugh. Sorry about the long pause. Looking forward to seeing what you think about this one!  
Yoru91: I love long reviews, so feel free to write one at any time! I'm really glad you're enjoying it, thanks for reviewing, to answer your questions, they won't find out they're both mutants until after mainstream, and sadly cajun spice isn't until the fourth season, but don't worry, they'll have met well before that and had plenty of interaction. Sorry about the long wait! Thanks again for the review!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: aww, your bf sounds sweet. Yes, it is, isn't it? Glad you're still enjoying, thanks for stopping by!  
chicita LOL, true, blue fur would be a pain to clean. I'm glad you're enjoying their interaction and that it feels natural. That's what I strive for.  
Simba317: I so owe you a much longer review response than this, but the sooner this is up the sooner I can get back to work on SWD. Just for you, a little preview: (Rogue is talking with Tessa) "What do you think of it the mission?"  
"Honestly, I haven't thought of it much. Though I was very interested to hear about the side effect of his powers. How's that going?"  
Rogue didn't have to fake her blush.  
"I see." See, I haven't forgotten about it and it's coming really, really soon! Thanks for your encouragement, I appreciate it and the fact that you haven't forgotten about the story. Your points in your review were fantastic as usual, glad you enjoyed the double meaning with all the ways to prove that boys drool, I had fun with that (and the eternal separation from chocolate) also glad you liked the Harley thing, and you're right, he's way protective already but in his own deluded little mind, he thinks it's "just friends" protective…hmm…this will be interesting. I wonder what his reaction's gonna be when he finds out just _whose_ hand he nearly blows off. OK, I'm gonna stop now 'cause I could write back to you for another hour and I really wanna work on SWD some more tonight and I'm sure that you understand so MEGA thanks to you for an awesome review and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter too!  
AngelicFairy: Yay, I'm really glad that you enjoyed it! Yes, FLUFFY! Thanks for reviewing!  
Ravenkicksass--You rock! Thanks for kicking _my_ ass and encouraging me to update. I'm glad you enjoy the story.


	16. Mind Games

**Disclaimer**: I hereby disclaim all ownership of X-Men Evolution...but I have evil plans for N-Men Solution...

Written place shortly after "Mindbender."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

You sure are demanding. Let me see, you want me to fight you, kick your butt in strip poker (like I really want to see that? Puh-lease. (rolls eyes)), play my guitar for you, and if in the course of any of these activities, I happen to hurt you (which is more than a small possibility), you expect me to take care of you till you're better? As The Man In Black would say: Get used to disappointment. The only one of those things you have a _chance_ at fulfilling is the friendly sparring match, that undoubtedly will turn not-so-friendly if you keep bringing up that stupid poker game. I'm all for a regular game, Remy, but trust me when I say that strip poker would be way too dangerous a game for us to play.

Despite being slightly disturbed at the thought of Fluffy's excitement, I am glad that you and he enjoyed the card. You poor boy, getting the same kind of present _every_ year. It must be extremely trying for you… I think I want to meet your cousin Lapin. He sounds like fun. (evil smirk)

It's been a rough week. There was some extremely weird stuff going on here at the boarding house. It's kind of hard to explain, but let me just say that people started acting in a way that was definitely _not themselves_. It started with Jean. She disappeared for days and we didn't hear anything from her until we tracked her down in an old museum. Then when she came back it was like like she had opened up this evil vortex of doom and just sucked everyone in after her. First Kurt, than Evan and Kitty and the only one's who're left are me and Scott, and I'm wondering, why was Scotty-boy left out of this little club?

They started doing things together that were just _completely_ out of character, and when I say this I want you to remember that their character is mostly goody-goody, fun-loving, and perky. So they've been going around being the opposites of themselves and the rest of us are just trying to catch up and figure out what's going on. And at the same time I'm thinking--this is _Jean_? _Jean_ is doing this? It was just too weird.

Turns out that they had all been under the influence of some strange strain of suggestion that this wacko at the carnival had managed to put on Jean, and then spread through her to the rest of the gang. I'm not entirely sure how he managed it, the prof and doctor are keeping it very hush hush, I think they don't want us to worry. I would worry a lot less if I knew what was going on. Poor Jean, she feels like dirt. She hates how she had been forced to act. Kitty and Kurt are trying to bounce it off, but I've caught them brooding. Evan is--well, Evan just gets angry and skates it out. I can't blame him, but his aunt is very worried about him. I think he's dealing with it OK, though. It's in the past now and there's nothing he can do about it, so he's just trying to get through it as best as he can. I wish I could deal with stuff that easily. I tend to push it away, to ignore it until it builds up--and it _seems_ similar to what Ev's doing, but it's really not. Scott's alternating between sulking that Jean is ignoring him and worrying himself into a frenzy. He's really making an idiot out of himself, he keeps hovering over her, bringing her hot chocolate and other things… I think she appreciates the fact that he's there for her, but is feeling smothered and in order to compensate for that she keeps talking about/to Duncan in order to get him to leave. Which works beautifully, of course, and then Scott goes back to sulking. It's a vicious cycle, I tell you. Vicious.

Everything is back to normal now, but it's frightening to see how certain circumstances can completely alter any control that you have over a situation. I don't like it.

In other news, my suspicion that Jamie is an evil mastermind has been completely and utterly confirmed. The other Newbies were leaving him out of a group activity--along the lines of another joyride--on the grounds that he was too young and inexperienced--technically, they _all_ were too young and inexperienced, but anyway. So he stomped off and let them think that they had got away with it, but then once they were mid-activity, he _totally pranked _them. I'm telling you, whipped cream and cellophane had nothing on what this kid pulled. I have to admit, I was very impressed when I found out, and somewhat proud. Enough that I agreed to hide him for a little bit while the Newbies had a chance to cool off. I think I may be developing a soft spot for evil masterminds, as long as they're cute and able to employ that most dreaded puppy dog eye attack. Not that I'm keeping him from getting pranked in return, you understand. I just helped out long enough so that the Nubes would have a chance to cool down and think of an appropriate response, because a 6-on-1 beating isn't really cool in my book. Plus, the mess of squished Jamie would probably take forever to get out of the carpet.

Did you ever have a feeling that something bad was coming, but you didn't know what? So many things happened this week that shouldn't have, so much went on that I just don't understand--I just really, really have a bad feeling about this whole month and I know there's nothing I can do about it.

And I have a frickin' French test tomorrow. Have I studied? Nooo. Will I study? I guess so…

I think that coffee is in order. Yes. Coffee and quite possibly large amounts of chocolate.

But I'm keeping the sugar away from Kitty. She's scary when she's on a sugar high. But I'm really glad that she's 'back to normal' as it were. Honestly, though, I think she needs to scream about it a little. Maybe instead of studying I'll corner her and make her get mad about something. She needs to get mad about this, or else I'm worried about what will happen to her if she just keeps brooding. I've already set one of the Newbies on Kurt with a truly original prank that you'll _never_ hear me admit to being the instigator for. Let's just say that it involves pink hair dye and leave it at that. If I can get Kurt mad and then involved in a prank war, then I think it'll bring him out of his funk without too much of a problem. All the better if I'm just able to watch and don't have to get involved past the first step. Ah, to observe mayhem but not be affected--life can be good.

I might not be able to fix the big things, but I can work on the littler ones. Though I'm not touching Jean's problems with a ten-foot-pole. She knows how to handle herself, she's just not doing it, she's throwing herself into Duncan instead. I can't stop other people from acting like idiots.

Oh, and about that web cam thing--did we or did we not agree to not make any real clues concern our physical appearance so that we could keep this as impersonal as possible until the day we decided to meet? Because I'm pretty sure we did. Not that I blame you for forgetting, after all I can imagine the strain of being a Vampiric farmer trapped inside his house because all he used to grow was garlic and thus driven to play poker at odd hours of the night is quite overwhelming.

And anyway that's the reason I didn't tell you Logan's nickname for me. It's got something to do with my hair. I don't like what you were implying--it's be like dating my great-uncle or something. Not that I have a great-uncle. But you get the idea. Or at least you _should_. I think I draw the line at dating men over five years older than me. Not that I've given it much thought, as you may have gathered the dating market around me isn't exactly the greatest.

And thanks--for the fighting thing, both for not going into detail about all its potential _benefits_ and for giving me a good smack upside the head. If we ever _do_ meet, I'll look forward to seeing what you've got.

Later,

Anna

PS. Joan Thyce Allendirs? You've _got_ to be kidding me! That's one of Kitty's favorite authors! She literally hunted me down last week and forced me to read _Ill Met by Moonlight_. It was a Gothic murder mystery with actual character development and two leads who couldn't stand each other until suddenly they couldn't stand being apart. Surprisingly, it was very good for its sort. You tell your friend that I'm impressed.

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Demanding? _Moi_? I think you have me confused with someone else, _chere_. Besides, if I recall correctly, _you_ were the one who suggested playing poker topless. I merely took the idea to its logical conclusion. And you've got to know, _chere_ that warning me about the danger of seeing you naked really isn't doing anything to help your case.

And if I get hurt while engaging in any of the various activities that could come from us meeting, would you really leave me all hurt and wounded? Don't know what _you're_ implying, _chere_, I was just talking about a little basic consideration.

Does this mean that you really won't play your guitar for me? Ah, but I have a weapon I know you won't resist. Something about pouting puppy dog eyes…

And don't get me wrong, if that doesn't work I have no qualms about conspiring with your resident evil instigator. How old is this Jamie kid anyway? Nice of you to help him out.

I have to admit, I'm somewhat confused about what you were talking about with your friends at the school. Something made them act not themselves? You told me that you didn't understand how that was possible, that the professor and the doctor were keeping it quiet, but it seems to me that this is something that you should find out, as quickly as possible. Are you _absolutely certain_ that whatever this 'power of suggestion' was didn't come from anyone inside the school? I don't know how you've been doing with learning continuous observation, you've been artfully dodging that question for months, but even if you're not willing to take that advice seriously, please listen to this: any time you're around someone or something that can manipulate you, you _must_ be cautious. It sounds to me like the people that you're living with have a lot of power over your situation, and that makes me uncomfortable. Be careful.

I am glad that your friends are back to normal, however. I have to admit that I admire the way that you're taking care of them. You're using what you have observed about them to manipulate them for their benefit. This gives me _some_ hope that you haven't completely been ignoring what I've been telling you. ;) It's kind of you, Anna. I have to wonder, though, at why this should fall to you--surely your professor would have set up some sort of counseling to help deal with such a traumatic experience?

There are a lot of sick people out there in the world, _cherie_, willing to take advantage of anyone and anything to get what they want. I know that you know this, but never let yourself forget it.

After months of alternately training and lounging around, it looks like my boss is finally going to start having us do things. He wants to make a statement. Of course, I'm not privy to all the plans yet, but I'll find out. I've made it a policy to never get involved in something that I don't fully understand. I'm telling you this just so you know that I may be extra busy at the end of the month, so if I miss a game or something don't worry about me. I'll write to you after and let you know that all's well. Do me a favor and agree to do the same, Anna? Even if you're only getting swallowed alive by schoolwork, the way things seem to be going for both of us…let's just say that I'd feel much better about it if we agreed that if we missed a game for any reason we'd immediately contact the other. And what made you decide to take French anyway, _chere_? _Je n'ai eu rien faire avec moi, il? _

What kind of nickname could you possibly get from a person's _hair_? You said that he already called Jean Red, right? Now you've gone and got me all curious. I suppose I should apologize for my implication about you and Logan. A 5 year limit, eh? Sounds reasonable. Far more reasonable than I would have expected from a receptionist who had Solitaire removed from her computer but was so bored that she took up online poker as a replacement. Just didn't think you'd keep close to any set of rules or systems.

Whose brilliant idea was it to not exchange pictures or descriptions, anyway? Oh wait…that was mine, wasn't it. Sometimes, I surprise myself with myself. Of course, my reasoning then was to keep us both as stranger-like as possible. Well, stranger, I have to admit that this is the longest conversation I've ever had with someone who I didn't even know what they _looked_ like. But the more that I think about it, the more I'm satisfied with our arrangement. It helps me think of you as _you_, which as you know, is not the easiest way for me to treat a girl. Though I'm still looking forward to being spoiled senseless should we ever meet, and I'm confident that I will not be disappointed.

I don't know if it would be safe to let you meet my cousin Lapin. The way you seem to be encouraging pranks on others…I have a feeling it would end up being rather…painful for those in the immediate vicinity. 'Sides, what's this 'I want to meet him' when you wouldn't let me come up to visit? Trying to make me jealous, _cherie_?

It was a good game on Friday, _chere_, but I could tell you were distracted. Now I see why, dealing with others' brooding tends to get annoying. In my house, Piotr is the one who broods. He misses his family. When I left them, Piotr was sketching--moodily--into his large sketchbook on the couch and John was sitting across from him laughing insanely and threateningly closing in on Piotr's book with his lighter. Then Piotr flexed and reached forward and crushed John's lighter. John's face fell and his lower lip started quivering and he threw himself on the floor and started crying. I managed to placate him by saying I'd bring him back a new one with some beer. Then I escaped as quickly as possible. If you think I'm going back there tonight--you're as crazy as he is. But I will bring him a new lighter tomorrow. I can't believe that you're telling me that he wrote something that was actually _good._ I honestly can't believe _you_ are telling me this. It's just…inconceivable. I can't--I mean--it just--I guess I'll just have to see this for myself. _Ill Met by Moonlight,_ right? If anyone sees me with a romance novel in my hands, my reputation will be _ruined_. I guess I'll just have to be sneaky about it. Any favorite scenes that you'd care to share, _cherie_? ;)

Game next week, same time, same place. See you then.

Remy

PS: I thought "doom" was supposed to be written in capitols when it came at the end of a phrase...?

* * *

Translation: It didn't have anything to do with me, did it? 

AN: Mindbender summary: Jean gets possessed by Mesmero and uses the X-Kids to perform a series of museum robberies, getting the rings necessary to form the first key to free Apocalypse! The New Recruits go in the Danger Room without an instructor but leave Jamie out of it, and he makes the room kick their butt! When it's game time, Wolvie can't bring himself to take out hypno-Kitty and she kicks him in the shin! Rogue's all like: I don't want to fight them, they're my friends, which says a lot for how she really views the X-men. But in the end, she fights them and kicks Jean's butt. Xavier takes on Mesmero and a creepy voice says: You have no idea who you're dealing with, bwa-ha-ha! (OK, maybe not bwa-ha-ha, but it was there. In the subtext. Really.) Honestly, I loved this episode when I saw it, I thought the way that they handled Jean's powers and the other X-kids was just so cool, and of course I loved it when Rogue knocked Jean on her butt. Why is it that the X-kids fight _so much better_ when they're being taken over by the bad guys? Meh, finding a way to dodge around this episode was extremely difficult for me, but I think it ended up coming along better than I thought it would. Again, about Rogue's understanding attitude towards Jean--the only way they could beat her was for Rogue to drain her, so right now Rogue is very in touch with her Jean side, as it were. Oh, that's a scary phrase…but it's creepiness is appealing to me, so I'm leaving it alone.  
OK, I have an **earnest plea**: I would really, really like to know exactly what Remy says to Rogue in **Stuff of Villains**. Does anyone have that or remember it so they can tell me about that confrontation? It would really make my day, and help me with my evil plot schemes immensely…

Oh, and in the previous chapter, I got my military lingo from Googling "military lingo" and checking out this site: www. vetfriends. com/ lingo/ index. cfm, (just take out the spaces) so as far as I know all the lingo was accurate.

Review responses: Aww, you guys' response to this story really makes my day and motivates me to write, you have no idea. Thank you all so much!

Synalm Halomyn-Faerie Queen: Here ya go! Thanks, hope you enjoy!  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: LOL! I'm glad you enjoyed it! They will meet at _least_ by my birthday, if I have anything to say about it, as a birthday present to me. So…yeah…  
heartsyhawk: You and your postit notes are so cool. Thanks especially for your kind complement on (alternately titled) "Carol Go Boom." I read it over and over thinking--wow, I can't believe _she _just wrote that! Your mental image of the "happy princess bunny things" so EXACTLY fits what I was trying to convey that I had to blink a couple of times and go back to check and see if I had written that song, which I hadn't, but I wish I had, because it was _perfect_. So very, very cool.  
addtothenoise: Welcome back! Hope you had a great vacation! Looking forward to getting time to check out your fic, which I keep getting happy little alerts to--yay, go you! And thanks for reviewing "Spontaneous Combustion," I'm really glad you liked it.  
Ish: I know, it's been ages (hangs head in shame). But look--an update! Yay! I can't believe my updates interrupted your sleep _again_. It must be some sort of conspiracy. But let me just say that I am SO GLAD that you didn't mind my posting a little ficlet off of "Symbiotic." I was kinda nervous about that, but I figured you wouldn't mind, and hey, what's fan fiction for, anyway? So, I'm very, _very_ glad that you liked it. Though your review made me a little apprehensive…you're not gonna do something sneaky and make Carol all nice and self-sacrificing at the end and make me feel like a total wench for hating her, are you? 'cause that would be really mean…  
simba317LOL, yes, you, punkrogue, and wibf, _should _hold yourself responsible for helping me get off my butt and updating SWD. So very glad that you enjoyed the preview and chpt. The explosion was Logan blowing up Rebirth--ooh,. Logan had a maple leaf on his uniform? Coolness. You guys get a very cool character in Wolverine. Rogue's appreciation of Lapin's gift was inspired by your review. Nah, John's alias is just the letters of his name rearranged to be girly, nothing worth reading into there except for the fact that he doesn't exactly want his pasttime to become well known. I mean, can you imagine it on the battlefield? Beware the Published Romance Novelist of DOOM! Yeah…it just wouldn't go over well. Thanks again for your fabulous review and encouragement (and guilt) to keep on writing. It's all good, and quite necessary, so thank you, thank you! (And I'm so _glad _that you enjoyed "Spontanious Combustion." I'm very glad it made you laugh and your rant was quite…inspiring.)  
Cat: I hope that you enjoyed the Crazy Acolytes Moment, as it was put in there for you! So very glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! Hey, didn't you _write_ two Rogans? I didn't read them because…umm…yeah, they're Rogans, but didn't you? Anyway, no Roganness here. Just a bit of implication to make Remy uncomfortable. ;) It wouldn't do to let him get too smug, now that she's all "over" Scott and all. I'm also really glad that you liked "Spontaneous Combustion." The fact that I can write stuff that makes people laugh amazes me. Actually, I have another random one-shot in the works inspired by…"OPPS!" But it's being a lot more difficult to write. (pouts)  
Rogue238CONGRADULATIONS! That's wonderful news! I hope you're past that morning sickness phase already, from everything I've heard that sounds just rotten. Yes, the PB book _rocks_, but I think there are two versions floating around out there, because the one that I read first and the one that I now own have different scenes. I've read the preview chapter to Buttercup's Baby and I have to say that my response was "huh? I don't get it." But I guess that makes sense if it was supposed to be "translated" by Stephen King. Personally, the thing that annoys me the most about Evo Remy's appearance is his soul patch, which I hate on everyone all inclusively. My hatred of his soul patch _will_ make itself known when they meet..  
sakura5tarHey! A kinda fast update it is! So glad that you enjoyed it, yes I have evil plans for their meeting, but I think it will be fun. As far as I know, the vet's lingo was real--glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much for reviewing!  
Bored247: Yeah, I wouldn't know these eps all if it weren't for the handy-dandy online summaries…so yeah…I'm very glad you liked the last chapter, it was hard for me to write, so yay!  
Wild: Welcome back! Hope that you had a wonderful time (did I say that already, I'm feeling like I'm repeating myself…)! I think that your guesses are very correct, and that both of them have good reasons for not really wanting to see the other right now (plus it would spoil my plot), it's just that Remy sometimes doesn't think with his head. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you enjoyed this one as well!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Aww, thanks so much for the hug! (returns it) Yeah, I made up the Rogue being hurt thing. Just trying to slip some every day life into the letters. I'm glad that you liked the inclusion of her and Logan's bond. I thought that was an important thing to have in the fic this early…Thanks so much for your great review, I hope you enjoy this chpt as well!  
Wrapped in banana foil: Oh, I'm so glad to hear that your grandfather talks that way, I felt kinda silly getting my info from a website, that just made my day, you have no idea.  
Chained2aMask: LOL, thanks! Ooo, that angel one…yeah…I dunno. Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know you liked it!  
Nettlez: LOL! Thanks for the streamers! I like your meeting ideas…I'd give you a hint, but I just don't want to spoil it! But I think it'll be fun, anyway…  
Kitrazzle Fayn: Really? Cool. It's my grandpa's birthday too--and Bilbo and Frodo's--so your younger bro is in good company, if I do say so myself! I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and it's wonderful to see you reviewing again, I've missed your distinct perspective!  
punkrogue: Aww, thanks, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Trust me, I understand about being busy. Hoped you liked this one as well!  
Dark Anime Love: Aww, you missed me? Thanks! (Big grin) I'm _still_ very glad that it makes you laugh. Thanks so much for reviewing!  
Minx: Well thank you very much! SWD is just a lot easier than typing out that whole big title, I don't really have an acronym obsession…hmmm AO…hmm… ;) I'm sorry the lingo was confusing… thanks so much for your review on this and on "Spontaneous Combustion," I'm really glad you're enjoying the stories!  
SweetRevenge151: When I saw your name on the review list, I had to double check and see if it was the same author as the one of one of my favorite stories. I'm honored that you like this, thanks for taking the time to review! I also had a somewhat similar situation (minus the poker and the mutant bit) to this happen for a few months--it didn't end as nicely as I plan on having this end, but I think I can pin some of my inspiration on it, and I've always been very grateful for the experience. So you're right, you really can get to know people through letters. Thanks so much for reviewing, I hope that you continue to enjoy it!  
sweet n' crazy: Thanks very much! Glad you're enjoying it, here you go!  
chicita: Heh, good. Glad you liked it. So am I, here's hoping it's good!  
Realtfarraige: Heya! LOL, your mental image of Remy at the buffet was as hilarious as it was disturbing. Yeah, fighting suits Rogue. I have having her trained into someone who really knows her stuff--that's what's fun about Evo Rogue--she needs that kinda training because of her mutation minus Carol Danvers. Ah, so you figured it for Jean, huh? Well, I'd be lying if I said she wasn't the one in my mind when I wrote it. LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed Rogue's version of nice. Sorry about the Veteran slang mix up, I thought I translated them on the bottom--which ones really bugged you, I'll let you know what they mean…(or you could just go look at that website (blushes) yeah, sometimes I forget the easy solutions…) Eek! Bunny porn! So not what I was intending, but--oh well. That's Remy for you, attempt to insult his masculinity through his attachment to a stuffed bunny and get smacked in the face with his twisted mind. I'm glad you enjoyed Remy's response to the fighting bit. Seemed to come naturally to him. Oh dear, you're right--we mustn't let them see him! (Amara, Jubliee, Kitty…) I SO don't want to have to deal with high pitched squeals and pleas to learn how to play poker. And I'm sure Rogue doesn't want to either. Your reasons why Rogue didn't tell her nickname were perfect and both and I also think that she subconsciously wanted to taunt him. I'm really glad that you're enjoying this story, so…without further ado…I'm gonna go post it now! Thanks for the fab review!


	17. Dance with le Diable?

**Disclaimer**: I am the automatic disclaimer. I go off whenever the author's initial response to typing "Disclaimer" in bold is an internal whine: _Mommy_, do I _have_ to write another disclaimer. So here I am to say that the author claims no ownership of the X-Men.

Written Place shortly after "Shadow Dance."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

That's it. I've officially decided that school dances are Of the Devil. Not only does everyone get all pressured and hyped up to go and be with a person (even if he or she doesn't really like said person), but they're always held in the school gymnasium, which means you end up dancing to the lovely aroma of sweaty socks. Honesty, I've been to some pretty rotten school dances in my time--but with the exception of one I'd say this Sadie Hawkins day takes the cake. First of all, I had to endure more Jean/Scott nonsense. Sure, I would have loved it if I could have asked him, but I can't, and I've accepted that and I really am over it--despite relentless teasing by Risty. Anyways, Jean--who's still dating Duncan, btw--was acting all mysterious about who she was gonna ask, and I was thinking _Finally! Maybe I won't have to endure this stupid non-flirtation anymore!_ I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if they both just got over themselves and finally got together, you know? At least I wouldn't have to see them sneaking glances at each other and prancing around like idiots. But just as she was about to ask him--get this--one of her "friends" walked over and asked him first. Ah, the joys of popularity. I may not have many friends, but at least I know the ones I have are real. Anyway, even though it was cruel of me I nearly _died_ laughing when I saw Jean's face. It looked like a combination of someone shoving ice down her back and a mouse running up her pant leg. 'Course I didn't let on, but still, she's been giving Scott the run-around for so long it's kinda nice to see her get a taste of what it feels like.

Though on the sweeter and much more amusing relationship fronts, Kitty got up enough nerve to ask her boy to the dance. No, the fact that her favorite stuffed dragon mysteriously went missing until she developed a backbone had _nothing to do_ with it, I swear. Heh. There are benefits to having a roommate after all…serves her right for playing _frickin' Brittany Spears _all last week. I was _so _tempted to throw her CD out the window, but the last time I did that she turned off the alarm clock and hid all my make-up so that I had to go to school _naked_. (FIGURE OF SPEECH, REMY! Eesh.) Ugh, canned music…don't get me started. Anyway, she asked him and he tried to play it off that he didn't really care or want to go--when she told me that I nearly hunted him down and gave him a piece of my mind, he can be _such_ a jerk sometimes--but then she told me that she caught him jumping up and down in excitement after she walked away, and I decided that a little not-so-discrete smirking would be an adequate punishment. Kurt also had a little love action going on with this girl at school. I don't really know her, but she's got enough sense to see that he's a gem, so I automatically like her a bit. Though if I had to sit through much more blushing, stuttering, and awkward look-at-him-ACK-he-sees-me-_quick-look-away_ glances, I was seriously tempted shove them both in a closet and _accidentally_ block the door until I couldn't hear stuttering anymore. (smirk)

So with all this build up, you wouldn't think the dance would be that bad, right? I mean, there was the amusing spectacle of Jean/Jock/Scott/Cheerleader with much annoyed flouncing and clueless eyebrow raising, Kitty and her boy being all uh-uh-I-think-I-_really_-like you, and Kurt and Miss Quick-Look-Away finally looking at each other (and looking at each other and looking at each other…), I almost didn't resent it when Risty dragged me away from Ben and Jerry and my stack of Carey Grant movies to attend the dance. I figured there was plenty to keep me occupied. Yes, I freely admit to being one of those girls hanging on the walls making sarcastic comments to her best friend about all the little _love_ly couples. Hey, if it was good enough for Elizabeth Bennet, it's good enough for me! I was looking forward to a long night of potential blackmail gathering and material for smirking.

My happy little plan started going downhill as soon as I got to the party. I really don't _do_ dancing in crowds, but Risty was having none of my excuses. I finally shoved her off to the floor and hugged the wall myself, but she just kept coming back. Just as she finally dragged me on the floor, we had some unwelcome company. That's right, my happy little school dance got totally crashed by brutes from another school. They were insane, positively crazed--way worse than overturning the table with the punch bowl, we're talking massive mayhem here. It was all we could do for everyone to get out of the gym in one piece. These guys were seriously on something, they were not at all normal--they tore through the gym like demons. I mean, I can understand an inter-school rivalry as much as the next gal, but was trashing our gym _really_ necessary?

Needless to say, the night was ruined, several people were traumatized, and Kurt somehow thinks that it's all his fault because he cut through their area a couple of times. He's really a moron sometimes, I swear. And a trouble magnet. But he and Miss I-Can't-Look-Away had a real good talk and he's not walking around the house anymore--he's floating. Last time I tried to talk to him, he looked right _through_ me with this happy little glaze in his eyes and murmured something like: "She likes me…for _who I am_," and then he floated off. I'm happy for him, really I am, but this cotton-candy stage of "love" is really annoying and I think I'm gonna avoid him until the sugar content comes down. I might develop cavities or something.

I am never going to a school dance again. Sure, it turned out happily ever after for everyone else, but all of _my _sources for enjoyment were completely wrecked. Though now I do get to watch Jean's friend go after Scott and see Jean glowering when he's not looking… What, like he was supposed to just wait for her forever while she had fun with the Idiot-Boy? I'm probably enjoying their mess far too much but…oh well! (Grin)

Well, it's only common courtesy to apologize after missing a game, Remy--though I do appreciate your concern, I have to say that it seems rather…futile? I mean, it's nice to know that (dramatic back of hand to forehead) you'd miss me if I'd gone, but it's not like if I was in trouble you'd be able to do anything about it, or visa-versa. Still, thank you. The thought of someone…wanting to know that I'm OK…it means a lot. I know that there are people here who care for me, it's just that I can't afford to let them see what you see, Remy and so it's like you know--it's like you know me. So the fact that you'd--aww, you know what? This is just getting too sappy for me. So all I'm saying is--thank you.

And don't worry. I'm more than confident that whatever caused the others to act so strangely last week came from _outside_ the boarding house. As you may have guessed, I haven't been as delinquent in training as you may have otherwise thought. You might say that I've been developing an inside track on the residents here--in fact, I could hardly help it. Don't worry, I'm safe here.

Obviously, I can't _tell_ you what about my hair gives Logan his wacky nickname ideas. Silly boy. Sorry about piquing your curiosity, don't mean to mock your pain, but "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something." OK, not as applicable as "Get used to disappointment" but I used that one last letter…

Along the lines of silly boy--what makes you think I'm trying to get you _jealous_? A girl can have more than one pen pal, can't she? 'Sides, I don't see how _our_ arrangement should affect my meeting anyone else. But if you're too scared to see what sort of mischief Lapin and I would get into, or if there are just certain stories that you don't want me to hear…can't say I blame you, really. But I'll have you know that if we ever really _do_ meet, I expect to be _at least _put on the phone with your cousin. Hey, if you can make demands, so can I. Fair's fair, after all. But then again, what does a member of Gambler's Anonymous who's getting his poker fix on the sly with a little online action know about fair?

And you were quite right: evil vortex of DOOM it is. I write corrected.

I just have one last question--are you going to let _John_ know that you're reading one of his stories?

Later,

Anna

PS--if you mean "share" as in "inform you of certain parts that I enjoyed," then OK. If you mean "share" in any other sense of the word…you know John _does_ have a fan website, I wonder how he'd react to hearing about the newest addition to his readerdom?

PSS--Remember--beware of high school dances! They're OF THE DEVIL!

XxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

You wound me! What other sense could I have meant "share?" Sometimes I worry about you, _cherie_…the kinds of things you must be thinking…

I'm very glad to hear that you are confident that you're safe enough where you are. Though I still want to encourage you never to let your guard down--as proven by the idiots who trashed your school, you never know what's going to happen next.

It sounds like your little drama is heating up considerably. Your… methods of motivation are interesting to me. Lock them in a closet, eh?

I can understand your opposition to high school dances--I've never had much use for them. But when it comes to _dancing_ itself--ah, _cherie_, there we have to differ. I love to dance. I'm sure you'd love it too, if given the proper opportunity. When we meet, I'll have to show you.

I have to say, I wish I had been there. I enjoy reading your comments about your friends, but being able to hear them from you and help with the mischief making would be fun. And I can guarantee that if I was there, you would have had the time of your life, school dances being Of the Devil or not. After all, they do call me _le Diable_ _Blanc_. And I can't _tell_ you the exact reason why, but I'm sure you get the idea. ;)

And I have to ask, who's Elizabeth Bennet?

You and your friends sure attract an astonishing amount of trouble. I never thought I'd say this, but you _did _call the cops on the punks who trashed your party, didn't you? Hope they put the fear of God into them, I've got no patience for snot-nosed punks like that. I trust that all your training paid off and you were able to handle yourself just fine and that if any one of the mewling babies managed to lay a hand on you that you made them pay through the nose. Because if you didn't… well, let's just say that I would be more than happy to oblige.

Which leads me to a serious topic for a moment--it is nice to have someone watching out for you, _chere_. I know that you're all alone since even before you left home, and I've been there. I know what it's like to not even want to sleep because of the shadows on the walls, and what they could turn into. And I want you to know that if you ever needed anything--you're a good of enough friend to me that I would be there for you. I don't have so many of those that I can afford to lose them. I'm not afraid to say it, and I think you need to hear it--yes. Yes, I'd miss you. And you'd be surprised at what I could do about it. I know that you don't open yourself up--really to anyone. I can see it even in the way that you choose to help your friends. And the fact that you choose to trust yourself--to the extent that you do--to me, even with all that you know about me and you know how I am with others and all that you know I'm not saying--it means more to me than I can say. And don't you dare try to shake this off with sarcasm, Anna, I want you to _know _it: you are important to me. Deal. :-p

On to the opposite of serious topics: Lapin. A girl certainly _can_ have more than one pen pal, _mais_, I think I'll keep you for myself, if you don't mind. The havoc that Lapin would wreck on your innocent mind, filling you up with all sorts of lies about me and the corruption he could inflict by attempting to bring you in on some of his schemes…no, it's much safer this way.

But should we ever meet, I think I could manage to arrange a _monitored _phone conversation between you and my cousin. Though you keep claiming that you have no intention of fulfilling my demands…I don't see any reason why I should honor yours. Tell you what, if this "fulfillment" is mutual, I see no reason why I shouldn't acquiesce. Ladies first, of course. See how much of a gentleman I am, _chere_?

I have no intentions of letting John know that I'm reading his work. He might get overexcited. John is…a little frightening when he's overexcited. I tend to hide the coffee and all things sugar when I'm at the base. Then in about fifteen minutes he gets a craving and his lost expression when he opens the cookie jar and finds them all gone is just priceless. Then he starts tearing the base apart looking for them. After he's looked fruitlessly for about five minutes, and everything breakable and non is scattered on the floor, I sneak back to where I've hidden them and put them back in the jar. Then Piotr, who I haven't decided if he's completely oblivious or exceptionally devious, walks by and sticks his hand in the jar and grabs a cookie, casually walking by a panicking John. "Where did you get that?" John asks. "Cookie jar, where else?" Piotr says. Then John will rush over to the cookie jar and stand there for a minute, his face going from confused to angry to full of awe in a truly amusing show, and then he forgets all about it and stuffs his face. It never gets old.

I still can't believe that this is the man who you've said was a good writer. Are you sure you read a book by _Joan Thyce Allendirs_? Or maybe I have his alias wrong…

And I must say for an old society lady who took up online poker as a guilty pleasure because she became too bored of bridge, you played very well last night. Not well enough, of course, but then again you are up against a master. (Buffs nails on coat.) Lol, you nearly skinned my teeth on one of those last three hands. I won't tell you which one, but if your instinct was telling you it was a bluff--you were right.

Can't make it on Friday, see you Thursday? It's been a while since we've played Texas Hold 'em.

Until then,

Remy

* * *

AN--OK, everyone slow down--hate to burst your bubble but according to Remy he still isn't in love. He's protective, he recognizes what's valuable to him, but he's still not sure if it's just because he has an outlet who'll listen to him, accept him, and tell it to him straight, because someone who knows better trusts him and he's getting to see what no one else sees (appeals to thief instinct, after all), or just because it's nice to have someone to protect, someone who he doesn't have to use or have any other interest in, but for all of these reasons, he's invested in Anna and he's not afraid to let her know it because he sees her putting herself down all the time in her letters and it drives him nuts. That's our Remy--as simple and uncomplicated as a straight line.  
"Shadow Dance" Summary: It's Sadie Hawkins dance! There's all sorts of relational drama! Forge wants to help Kurt improve and understand his mutation, but it backfires drastically and unleashes the literal demons of Middleverse onto the high school dance. Kurt BAMFS out with Amanda and Lance stays around to protect Kitty. Amanda gets to see the real Kurt and it's all "aww."  
(Sigh) I really enjoyed writing Rogue's letter, and eventually Remy's as well. Hope you guys liked it too!  
**Special thanks to all those who helped me with my request about Stuff of Villains**. That will be an important episode for our pair. 

Review Responses: I am overwhelmed by the response to this story. But don't stop! Keep it coming, I love it! Cat2fat900 There's another Crazy Acolyte Moment for ya--I hope you don't mind my picking on John--he's just too much fun. I agree, carnivals are creepy and the..err.._structural integrity_ of their rides frighten me a bit. Hmm, a DoR dance, eh? Well coolness. L/M, I sit corrected. Hope you enjoyed--lol, sorry about the lighter, don't worry, Remy got him a shiney new one. (Black with silver flames)  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc Is this quickly? I hope so... DoR, their first "meeting" is just 3 updates away! Glad you liked it.  
Nettlez: Hey, I got an invite to join your C2! Thanks! Umm...what does that mean, exactly? I mean, what would I have to do? Yum, I love cookies, thank you.  
Alexis Ravenlockes: I'm glad you're enjoying her talk-arounds. It certainly gives me my mental calisthenics to try and work them through! Especially since I have this thing about her not lying more than necessary. Thanks for reviewing!  
Orion Kohaishu: Indeed. I wonder why that could be...? I'm glad you're enjoying it and I'm also (this is going to sound tactless of me, but I can't think of any other way to word it) glad to see that you're doing well enough to review... I wasn't sure what was going on with you because I know about your connection to New Orleans and well--all I'm saying is I'm glad you're OK is all. (Yeah...that was awkward...anyway...)  
thegambit23: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm working on getting them to meet. Well, now they're one step closer, anyway.  
Chained2aMask: LOL, thanks for the summary (complete with commentary), much appreciated! I'm working on getting them together ASAP, so...here's hoping!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Good question: I'm planning on turning it into a bit of a mix up of real-time, letters, and possibly IM conversations. Some things I'll need them to be DOING, others will work better having them written...No, no sequel, but I'm gonna do my best to take them to the defeat of Apocalypse and slightly beyond...so, this will likely be a long story. Oh well!  
SweetRevenge151 Aww, thanks. No, my letter thing was..meh, I don't even know how to describe it. It was weird, glorious, painful, indelible, and weird--but I'm not planning on having my experience reflected in this story in any way other than with my knowledge of how deeply attached you can become to a person without actually meeting them. I'm glad that you find the story layered, as I have been working on that, especially on putting things into their letters that will haunt them later. I'm very glad that you find them like real letters, especially since you have experience with this type of thing. I've found writing this way to be very...different. It's fun, but challenging. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing!  
punkrogue: Aww, thank you so much! I'm really glad that you like it!  
ishandahalf: GOOD! Making Carol nice would just be...too cruel. Of course, now you've got me all intrigued about what you're planning on doing, so I'm tempted to hold the next chapter hostage...but you know that I won't do that because I already said that I wanted them to meet by my birthday, so that really was a wasted threat, wasn't it? I understand what you mean about having people reading over your shoulder...that happened to me tonight and...yeah... YES, it was hard to explain Mesmero. It's even hard to explain Mesmero when you're not trying to hide the fact that you're a mutant. I mean, he's just a bit disturbing... Well, it IS the classic Romance plot--how's it go...oh yes, the leads are like magnets, they just keep pushing each other away until they flip! And of course. :0) I'm glad that you're enjoying their bond, they're sure going to need it--in fact, shortly they won't be _enjoying_ that bond much at all...I have plans for them, yes, yes I do. Anyway, after all this time I'm just hoping that when they finally DO meet, everyone won't be let down! It's not MY fault Evo put it off until forever, but I'm getting a bit intimidated by the build-up...Oh well! Anyway, here it is, I hope you enjoyed it!  
Realtfarraige: Yup yup, more personal but still hiding. LOL, I would _never_ write Remy grabbing her...oh wait...did that, didn't I? Oh well... (smirk) Yes, a red beam while robbing would be rather inconvenient... I think Rogue is aggravated by Jean's Duncan obsession because she _knows _(that whole absorbing thing) Jean likes Scott and is really sick of seeing her play around, but at the same time, she's still kinda into Scott despite the fact that she knows she shouldn't be, so she's also enjoying their misery. Yeah, it's like that. You're right, she kinda _does_ crave control...in a lot of things...hmm... LOL, Jamie under Remy's influence...imagine the pickpocketing and the card tricks! Oh, this could be...very interesting... John _is_ very fun to play with. LOL, "Evil Meglomaniac's Handbook..." You know, you're probably right about why they fight better--that whole 'not killing' thing has got to be hard thing to follow through on in a _fight--_especially considering Emma Frost as evidence. Anyway, thanks for the great review, hope you enjoyed this chpt!  
Minx: Thanks very much for the tip! Wow, I'm really glad that my writing helped your headache go away. That makes me really happy. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!  
chicita: Ooo, sorry about that whole dentist thing. Ouch! Glad you enjoyed, thanks for reviewing despite the fuzziness!  
wrapped in banana foil: Yikes, that's an intense load! Is it like that every day? How do you BREATHE? I'm especially glad my work made you laugh, then. And it makes me happy that you think the convos are realistic. That's what I'm going for! So Yay! (Oh, and btw in SWD...yeah, they're not going to, just so you know. I am of a similar belief and have really struggled with finding a way to keep the characters real and to themselves and incorporate what I truly believe--and I've come up with a compromise that I rather like and I hope you will too.)  
RavenKicksAss: Well, I hope you had a good time on vacation at least! And hey I appreciated being yelled at, so it's all good. Scarlet Witch in 2 chapters! So probably by Wednesday..? I dunno, I'll try for sooner...


	18. Big Foot and Mystery Science Theater

**Disclaimer**: No! It's not mine! Ah! Get it away! ... or something like that...

Written place shortly after "Retreat"

* * *

Dear Remy, 

You and your frickin' deliberate ambiguity. Fine, no qualification, no sharing, and catch me if I ask again. (grumbles)

You don't know who Elizabeth Bennet is? Go out _right now _pick up a copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She is, without a doubt, one of my favorite literary heroines of all time! Wait…never mind…you'd hate it. It's a comedy of manners and misunderstandings and forced marriages…not exactly up your alley. I'd sit you down and make you watch the A&E version with Colin Firth, but somehow I don't you'd appreciate it either… it _is_ six hours long… and worth every minute! The casting in that movie/series is fantastic--though I maintain the fact that Bingley looks like a duck, no matter how much Kitty disagrees with me--and Mr. Collins is quite possibly the most repellant man I've ever encountered on screen or in real life…well, wait, there was that one man who reminded me suspiciously of a tattooed monkey… OK, besides him, Mr. Collins is the creepiest. I get so mad when Charlotte marries him! … … OK, I'm ranting now, aren't I? I can't help it, I love that story! But you won't like it. Believe me you won't. And if you don't believe me, I'm confident that picking up the book and attempting to make it through the first chapter will convince you otherwise. I think it's a girl thing, Remy, so don't feel bad if you try and can't stand it. I honestly would be shocked if you liked it.

So you're offering dancing lessons now, Rems? I don't know about that… somehow I have a feeling that it wouldn't end well… it never has when I've been dancing before. Maybe if I locked myself up in a room by myself and made it so that absolutely no one was around for me to injure in any way… maybe then I'd be able to relax well enough to dance. But then, if you were teaching me you'd have to be there, and somehow I'm not at all certain that you would be able to get through the lesson without… umm… causing injury to yourself, so that nixes that idea. Thanks for the thought though.

_Le Diable Blanc. _The white devil? That's… a strange nickname. I'm sure you told me that just to attempt to get my curiosity up and get me to ask why they call you that. I'm equally positive that you have about fifty prepared dirty comments to follow through on that question. So I'm not going to ask. And I'm not going to venture out a guess, either. In fact, since I don't think I'll ever call you that, I'm going to ignore the fact that you told me that nickname all together. In keeping with that logic, I should go and erase this entire paragraph. But I won't--I want you to realize that you are being ignored. :-p

Fabulous news--well, for me at least. I had the room to myself this weekend! A bunch of kids went off with a teacher to do some out-door camping trip! And Kitty went with them! The weekend to myself! YES! The sweet, sweet smell of freedom! You think I'm being overdramatic? _You_ try living trapped in a house of the teenage version of the Days of Our Lives--sure, it's fun to get all Mystery Science Theater on everyone for a while, but after a while you just want to scream, "Jane! Get me off this crazy thing!" And what do you mean, that there were probably more productive uses of my time this weekend than staking out the rec room and watching whatever the heck I wanted without having to worry about annoying Newbie requests?

Sadly, the house was not entirely deserted. Scott and Jean were here doing Scott and Jean things--soccer practice and shopping and hanging out with the boyfriend, and Scott worked on his car, met up with the cheerleader--in front of Jean, oh the amusement--, and I'm pretty sure I walked by while he was practicing looking "serious" and "take charge." But I didn't stick around long enough to find out. It was pretty frightening, actually. I just hope that my laughter didn't give me away…

Kurt wanted to hang out, but I took care of that without too much difficulty--or rather, a seemingly random encounter with Miss You-Couldn't-Pay-Me-to-Look-Away took care of that. (Buffs nails) I'm good. Not that I don't like Kurt or enjoy his company, you understand, it's just--do you _know_ how rare it is to get something at all resembling quiet time in this place? It's to be _hoarded_, I tell you!

Besides barricading the rec room and denying entrance to all who sought to steal _my_ remote, I also got to _blast_ my music and dance around my room--now, I know, we've talked about this, but it's not that I mind _dancing_, it's the whole _with people_ thing that bothers me. And no, you're not going to change my mind about this either. I worked on a new piece with my guitar and reread Ender's Game. Now _there's_ a book you might enjoy. I have to admit, the first time I read it I was completely surprised by the ending…something about that story is so intriguing and infuriating to me at the same time. I don't want to say more about it in case you haven't read it, but I really think it's worth your time. I ate more Flips than was probably good for me and am thoroughly looking forward to the release of Project 86's new CD…must have listened to "Sincerely, Ichabod" 50 times this weekend. Sometimes, it's just more important to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you than it is to do homework, which you don't really care about anyway. One weekend of total indulgence is seriously not going to kill me.

Ah, I miss it already. Yes, that's right--the kids are back. And they had quite the story to tell--evidently their little camping trip was a far cry from my relaxing weekend. And here Kitty thought she was going to come back gloating and telling me how much I had missed. Ha! No, it wasn't a simple case of poison ivy (though one of the city-boy Newbies _did_ manage to wander into a nice healthy patch and he's covered with chamomile lotion--I can't get within fifty paces of him without sneezing). Apparently, they came across a bunch of idiot hunters who thought that they had tracked down Big Foot. Yes, I just typed Big Foot. No, I couldn't believe it when Kitty told me either. Sometimes people are such idiots! But they survived their brush with stupidity relatively uninfected (besides the kid who caught poison ivy. Honestly--shiny leaves of three, leave it be! How hard is that to remember?). It's a good thing too, stupidity is such a contagious disease and we're living in close quarters here.

Your stories about John are hilarious. And if I was in your position, I would also doubt whether or not he was capable of writing a decent story. But yes, I am sure that _Joan Thyce Allendirs_ was the one who wrote the romance novel that I actually--gasp--enjoyed. That doesn't mean that _you'll_ like it. But the mystery was rather good. I can't vouch for the other parts, not having much experience in those areas. I'm sure you'll probably laugh your head off, if you make it that far into the book at all--romances aren't exactly known for their realism…

Moving right along here, I must ask--just exactly _who_ would it be safer for if I never met Lapin? Sounds to me like you're much more worried about what he would reveal about _you_ than about whatever the consequences would be for me meeting him. And since when were you worried about the state of my innocence? Or are you the only one allowed to corrupt me? And I have to say that your so-called "gentlemanly" actions are more than a little questionable. Perhaps I will let you demonstrate them in a fuller capacity…prove to me that you will do as I ask, and I'll feel comfortable enough to enter into some sort of agreement with you. I'm that I'll be able to select _something_ out of your many demands that I can trade with.

I wouldn't get too excited over that if I were you. After all, I'm not sure how much excitement a Zamboni driver who's too ashamed of his frostbite to be seen in public and who's developed an online poker addiction which he feeds by taking his laptop with him while he cleans the rink (almost ramming into the walls in distraction) can handle. Must be a jarring experience for you. But it would explain your rotten playing last Thursday. Honestly, I almost wondered if John or Piotr had hijacked your handle, the way you were playing. I almost felt bad cleaning the floor with you…almost, but not quite. ;)

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Truthfully, I'm glad that you expected better of me our last game. My head wasn't in the game at all, I don't know what was the matter with me, usually I'm able to block everything else out and concentrate, but last Thursday… yeah, it just didn't happen. Perhaps it was the distraction of your glorious presence, _cherie_?

I'll take both of your recommendations under advisement--avoid Pride and Prejudice like the plague and pick up Ender's Game. A comedy of manners is not my style at all. Though I don't know when I'll have time to read--the boss has been keeping me busy, doing mostly scouting work. I'm grateful--I hate to be bored. I'm not sure how his plan's gonna turn out, it seems like it could use a few strokes with Occam's Razor, _mais_ it's not for me to tell the man how to run his affairs. I just show up, do the job, and go home. Ah, the life of an employee. Least sometimes the man has some interesting assignments.

Of _course_ I'm looking out for you when I warn you about my cousin. Lapin's just…a little scary at times, is all. I'm not even sure the man _could_ be your pen pal, I'm not sure he's capable of that sort of long distance commitment. Wouldn't want you to get hurt with his idiocy, _chere. _Any resulting self-preservation and the continued secrecy of all of my embarrassing childhood stories are mere side effects, I assure you. ;)

And believe me, _cherie_, if my main objective was corrupting you, you wouldn't even think to ask that question. Though now that you mention it, it does sound like an interesting pass time… _Mais_, what am I saying? You're already corrupt enough--after all, it was you who suggested our strip poker game in the first place. (smirk)

I'm glad that you enjoyed your weekend alone, it sounds like a great time. I completely agree with you that sometimes work is just not as important as play. Especially when you don't care about the work anyway. I love hearing your reactions to the people around you--it shows me so much more than you think.

But I've been thinking about some stuff you've let slip in these past letters and it sounds to me as if you're not as over Scotty-boy as you'd like to believe. I honestly don't understand the attraction, everything you've told me about him makes me think the boy's a complete wuss and I didn't think you were the type to fall for someone like that. I have to admit, I don't understand why you like him at all and it's irritating to me that I just don't get it. And don't write back to me telling me that you're over him--it's obvious to me that you're not, even though you've as much as admitted that he's not good enough for you. I'm still seeing attachment in every word you type about him.

And what frustrates me even more than the fact that you're still pining away over this guy who's obviously no where near up to your level is this hopelessness, this helplessness in your tone. You're writing like you've given up, when I know for a fact that you haven't even _tried_. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I want you to be with the boy, but I'm the last person to stand in the way of someone else having their fun. But you--the way that you're acting is as if _you_ don't deserve _him_ when nothing could be further from the truth. And you're a fighter, Anna. I know that you are--I don't understand why you're not fighting for him. If you want him still--for some God-forsaken reason--go get him. If you don't want him, that's another thing entirely, and who the hell cares what he does then?

_Merde, _if I was there I'd want to slap you silly. Fix your head, girl. Do it or don't, but stop torturing yourself about this!

I'm not telling you this for my own amusement, far from it. I just don't understand how a woman as confident and bright as you obviously are lets a little thing like one idiot-boy's interest get her down. You think you're being self-sacrificing by staying out of the way, is that it? You want Scott and Jean to find their true love in each other, you don't to stand in the way? What about what _you_ want, _chere_? Your desires are just as important and legitimate as theirs.

_Merde_, I can't believe I'm encouraging you to go get this prick. _Mais, _if it makes you happy I don't see why you shouldn't do it, even though he's obviously a moron.

There. I'm done. Bet you didn't know you were walking into _this_ lecture when you opened up the email, neh? I just don't like reading about you putting yourself down, Anna. I know that you only show this side of yourself to me, and I'm honored, I just wish it wasn't there at all. Trust me, I've got an eye for value and you, _ma fille_ are deserving of all the happiness you can have.

I'm glad that my pain amuses you--wonder what you'd think, living with the boys I'm staying with… Did I tell you that John has begun communing with the squirrels? No, really, he has. I caught him outside with a jar of peanut butter, he was sticking Popsicle sticks in the jar and coming out with a big glob of peanut butter and then planting them in a little circle around the ground. He then sat down in the circle and waited. When I asked him what he was doing, he said that he was waiting to "finalize his treaty" with the squirrels. He claimed that since the squirrels were just as likely to take over the world as our boss, he was just buttering them up in hopes of being allowed to live. And then he said, "Get it, _buttering them up_? With peanut butter, get it?" And he continued to repeat his stupid pun and laugh at it long after I had walked away shaking my head. Sometimes I worry about him, I really do.

Big Foot, neh? Well, I've seen shadows and certain mushrooms convince people of stranger things… I'm just glad your friends all got back without being shot. There are crazy people in the world, _chere_. And I think I'm working with most of them.

Not entirely sure what that says about me, _mais_ I never was one for introspection. :-p (Just thought I'd bring it up before you did, _cherie_.)

I must say that I'm a little disappointed at your ignoring my mention of my nickname. _Mais sho_, I was hoping to stir up your curiosity just a little. Too bad I was a complete failure, neh? And now you'll never know for sure just why they call me the devil. Your loss, _chere_. ;)

I can't say that your glee in wiping me out last Thursday was much of a surprise to me. After all, what can I expect from a campaigning politician who's attempting to hide her gambling addiction by only dealing online? Must be hard keeping such a secret when everyone's out to read your dirty laundry. Stressful, to say the least. No wonder you deal so ruthlessly.

See you Saturday? Looking forward to a rematch.

Remy

* * *

AN: So sorry, folks, my abject apologies. My week got hijacked. Apparently, just because it's your birthday week that's "no reason to lock yourself up in your room and write."  
Retreat Summary: OK, Beast and the kids go on a camping trip and some hunters mistake Beast for Big Foot and manage to capture him, and for some reason he's not able to use his super strength to break out of the cage that they have him in and he gets rescued by Kitty and the Newbies. Then the hunt down the hunters and scare them away. End of episode.  
Yes, the tattoed monkey man Rogue's referring to is--your friend and mine--Mesmero. And maybe all of her views on Pride and Prejudice reflect mine just a bit... Please excuse the Product Placement. I make no money or claims on Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, A&E's truly excellent mini-series about it, and I certainly have no claims on Mr. Collins, piglike man that he is. I also have no connection with Days of Our Lives, Mystery Science Theatre, or The Jetsons. I don't own Orson Scott Card's fantastic Ender's Game and have nothing to do with Project 86--though they are coming out with a new CD this month and my kid brother is ecstatic about it, practically salivating, and he's made me listen to every song of theirs on purevolume(dot)com/project86 and I _did_ mention "Sincerely, Ichabod" for a reason, because I'm planning on using some of it later in this fic and so if you want to hear it you can just go to that happy little website I've put up there. Also, I love Flips--they're chocolate covered pretzels--and I'm kinda craving them now…which is probably why they're there, or maybe I'm craving them because they're there…I dunno… But anyway please _do_ excuse the product placement, it's there mostly for my amusement and I hope that you enjoyed it as well. 

Review Responses: I would love to be able to give my usual responses, but I am pressed for time. So I'm just gonna respond to some specific questions and extend special thanks to: **gamro, bored247****, Cat2fat900** (nod to Cat on squirrels and St John, hope you enjoyed), **Rogue238**(You guessed the soul patch right, sorry I didn't make that plainer, yes, think you just might be right about that hidden love thing, and now you know who Elizabeth Bennet is (I was planning on having Rogue explain it to Remy, which is why I didn't have a note about her in the last chapter...probably shoulda, though)--_you_ might enjoy the story, if you haven't read it already. I know I love it, but some don't--think you would, though.), **Synalm Halomyn-Faerie Queen, Nettlez** (Thanks for the invite! Hope you liked the stories I added), **Dark Anime Love, sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme, **(from what I remember, Sadie Hawkins was a famous femnist and so on the dance in her honor girls have to ask the boys. My comment on the practice: whatever.) **RavenKicksAss** (thanks for pushing me to update), **Chained2aMask** (eek! Sorry I left that bit in there, though you're right, I can't wait til it happens and I was so mad that I wasn't able to find time to write last week!), **ragincajunlover **(I love the word 'splendiferous' and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story and PP, which of course, rocks), **wrapped in banana foil**(yeah, only very rare boys actually _like_ Jane Austen. Mark Twain had quite a few nasty things to say about her.), **WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc** (thousands of apologies on the delay!), **punkrogue** (Grin! Thanks), **NaijaStrawberrie** (thanks for updating all that you read through, I'm glad you enjoyed 'em!), **simba317**(Your review rocked my socks, thanks so much! So sorry this took forever--and that somehow my last review response to you didn't show up!), **ishandahalf** (I totally agree with you about the PP mini series, though _my_ favorite Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy scene is when he's fencing and he beats the master because he's so upset and goes: I will conquer this, _I will_! I've got such plans for them when they meet…you've no idea, and it's just taking me too dang long to get there! Ergh! cough anyway) , **MARIA **(thanks for reviewing, I really appreciate it!), **heartsyhawk **(congrats on your new digs and paid off post-it training! I agree with you about Piotr), **Minx **(grin! Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it. And yeah, Risty would be cool if she wasn't evil…), **Kitrazzle Fayn**(Heh, I looked up demon synomims and guess what I found--brute! So it worked out well… (grin)), **Realtfarraige** (mini-series rocked, am skeptical about KK as EB, but willing to give it a shot…Your mental Remy's tango image was hilarious…great review, wish I had more time…), **AngelicFairy, sakura5tar, chicita **(thanks!), **a dragons wings****Orion Kohaishu **(thanks much, I'm really glad you're OK!), **nlblake** (Thank you for your great review, I'm so glad you're enjoying my story), **blaise91** (They will "meet" in two chapters but the question is…will they know who's who? But count on face to face interaction within 8 chapters.)

_I'm so glad that you all are enjoying this story! Profound apologies that I was unable to deliver sooner! Your reviews were great motivators, and I hope to have another chapter up in two days. (Dang, over three hundred reviews! It's hard to believe! Y'all rock!)  
_


	19. Masochistic Muffins and Fair Warnings

**I don't own anything except the words on the page and perhaps not even them...must go back and check FF's policy...**

**Written place shortly after "Hex Factor"**

**

* * *

** Dear Remy,

You--you--gah! I wish I knew your middle and last name so I could full name you, you arrogant corruptor-of-innocent minds! You know _damn_ well that I didn't suggest a frickin' strip poker game! All I wanted was some assurance that you weren't cheating _if _we ever played a real life poker game, which is something that we've _yet_ to decide and something that is becoming less and less likely to happen every time you mention that _damn_ strip poker game. (glares and sticks out her tongue)

It's been a rough week here, Remy. _First_ of all, Kitty had her Home Ec midterm. That meant much frantic practicing in the kitchen, several burnt pans, a small green explosion, finally resulting in her exiting the kitchen in triumph with the proud results of her efforts. Muffins. I know, they sound perfectly innocent. And, in and of themselves, the _muffins_ were innocent. In fact, I'm sure if you left them alone, they wouldn't hurt anybody, they'd just be standing there on a little countertop until the end of the world. The worst thing about them is that they didn't _look_ terrible. Combine that with Kitty's hopeful face and irrepressible perkiness and persistence, and you _might_ just be willing to forget the fact that Kitty is worse than the little green fairy in Disney's Sleeping Beauty and that the her food is one of the most deadly things known to man. I continuously reminded myself of this and was doing my darndest to avoid her…but she's my roommate. She cornered me and threatened me with a Boy Band Marathon if I didn't try one of her muffins and let her know how they were. Kitty's a straight-A student, and she's _determined_ to pass Home Ec.

With great trepidation, I reached out my hand to take one of her muffins. Fortunately for me, at that _exact moment_ Kurt appeared in our room and saw the plate of muffins that Kitty was extending under my nose. Kurt isn't known as the human vacume cleaner for nothing. He completely forgot to connect "food" and "Kitty" to "food made by Kitty" and only thought "Steal food from Kitty and Anna _now!_" So he went for a muffin, accidently knocking down the platter as he stuffed it in his mouth. Kitty screeched--all her "hard work," Kurt turned purple and spit the muffin out of his mouth, and I learned that nothing is impossible when it comes to Kitty and food. Previously, I knew that muffins could be burnt, I knew that they could resemble charcoal, I even knew that muffins could be a rare mixture of raw and cooked--but I did not know that muffins could _bounce_. Because they did. As soon as they hit the ground, the bounced up like one of those balls you get at the twenty-five cent machines at supermarkets. They hit the walls, the ceiling… I've never seen anything like it.

Sadly, I was the only one to notice it. Kitty was too busy screaming at Kurt and Kurt was too busy running his tongue along the ground to try to get the taste of the muffin out of his mouth. It must have been really bad. I've seen the boy eat dirt. Literally.

I decided that it was an ideal time to leave my room as quietly as possible.

I brought some Entenmann's back with me when I finally decided it was safe to return to the house. Normally, I'm not one to encourage cheating, but it's my new goal in life to keep Kitty as far away from an oven as possible… although, I could consider getting the recipe and selling the muffins to the defense contractors. Though I'm not sure just the recipe would do it, they might need _Kitty_ to make them and getting Kitty around that much cooking equipment, even under army supervision… (shudders) I know I'm going to die one day, but I'd prefer a quick death, thank you _very_ much.

So Kitty created Masochistic Muffins and Kurt cleaned my bedroom floor with his tongue, but the week just got weirder and frankly--a whole lot worse. I honestly think that there are a group of people around who sit around and plot in an attempt to make my life more difficult. Sometimes, I feel like the president from Mars Attacks (stupidest movie _ever_, you almost have to love it for its sheer brain-draining power), "Why Can't We All Just Get Along."

I've occasionally mentioned that the guys that I used to live with before coming to the boarding house like to pick fights with us here. Well, this time it was an ambush in the mall. In the _mall_ of all God-forsaken places. It wasn't bad enough that Jean and Kitty had dragged me there, (admittedly along with several equally reluctant boys), but now I had to deal with this slime-o getting in my face. These guys are worse than the pop-ups that _always_ open when I'm trying to read 'Get Fuzzy.' I feel like I'm proving my intelligence every time I _don't_ click on one of those IQ tests. Honestly, I just want to read my comic and be left alone, is that so hard?

Stupid pop-up bullies. And don't ask me how--considering that I've beaten this boy within an inch of his life (figuratively speaking) every time we've had a conflict, but this time he was able to get the jump on me. He gave me a nasty lump on the head, let me tell you, the next time I see him he'd better be ready for me to return the favor with interest. _Oh Tom the Toad, Oh Tom the Toad, why did you have to cross the road…you did not see the yellow line and now you are…a streak of slime. Oh Tom the Toad, Oh Tom the Toad, why did you have to cross the Road. _Sorry. Tangent. I was just planning revenge. He hates that song for some reason and I sit behind him in French class… Anyway, what was I saying--oh yeah, we ended up getting kicked out of the mall. We can't go back for a while. Hmm… maybe I should bake them cookies and thank them instead… or I could send them some of Kitty's muffins… Oh, the possibilities…

And another thing--have you ever gotten into a fight with someone and were just like--_why_? I mean, I basically agreed with everything that this girl had to say, she had every right to be mad as hell--the only problem was that she was directing her anger at the wrong people. I tried to point this out to her and got _torn up_. I think I was in shock--I don't know if I've ever run into anyone who can freak out as well as me. I didn't really want to fight her, but if she lets her anger be used like that again, well, next time I'll have fair warning and know that I won't have to hold anything back. Fact of the matter is, though, that if she was going after the guy who made her mad in the first place, well, I'd be tempted to help her. Or at least get popcorn and watch.

I hate manipulators. I just…hate it. And I hate that it's so easy. And I hate watching people get used. People are people, not dish-rags or washing machines. They should be allowed to have choices. They should be treated with respect. They should be valued because they're _people_, not for what they can do to advance your own pleasure or purpose. I know I've manipulated people before myself--you know I have, but every time I've done it it's been for their sake, or just to get them to leave me alone. It's a different thing. I'm not _using_ them, I'm just creatively convincing them to seek out or confront their best interests. When you know as much about people as I do, it's _so hard _not to use it against them--but I refuse to do it. I absolutely refuse. I will not use them. Gah, I hate it when people do that _so much_, it's not even a hard promise to make to myself. I like being able to not flinch when I look in the mirror.

I have to admit, I didn't really like being called on the carpet about still liking Scott. But I did some of that mirror looking I was talking about (down by a small pond, can we say _Narcissus?_ Yeesh, I hope not.) and came to the conclusion… you're right. I _do_ still like him, even though I know I shouldn't. It's just not that easy to get over him. Even when he acted like a jerk to Kitty's boy, after a while I could see why he did it--he didn't want her to get hurt. Sure, some of it was Alpha-Male posturing, but even I have to admit that the boy is making some continuously stupid decisions, despite the fact that I know that he's head over heals for Kit, he's not letting that affect much of his life. There's some stuff that I just can't _stand_ about Scott--he can be so anal, and I'm not sure the boy knows _how_ to relax and have fun--but it's not like I'm in the runner-up for the Miss Sunshine award myself. I like that he takes his friends and responsibilities seriously. I like that he's loyal and protective. Heck, in some twisted way I even like the fact that he's too crazy about Jean to enjoy his relationship with the cheerleader or even glance my way. He's been a lot harder to get over than I thought he would be, even though it tears me up that he doesn't care for me and I _know_ that I should just forget about him.

It's harder than it sounds like. Especially since we're living in the same frickin' house.

I know that I can't excuse my actions to you, but I can't change them either. I _can't_ fight for Scott, Remy. There are extenuating circumstances that just make it impossible. I can't explain them to you. You wouldn't understand. I'm not being melodramatic about this, it's just one of those things that doesn't go over so well in the type of relationship that we're trying to maintain.

Just let me say that I'm not staying out of it because I want Jean and Scott to find their ultimate happiness in each other. I think I've made it pretty clear that I think they're both acting like idiots and deserve what comes from their foolishness. I'm staying out of it because…well, for one thing, I'm not the kinda gal who'll seduce someone into being with her--kinda goes against that whole "I will not use them" thing. In the secret place of my heart where the hope that I could be with someone doesn't die, I know that I want to be with someone who _wants_ me, not someone I had to convince to be with me. You probably think that I'm taking it too seriously. But that's the only way I know how to play this game. And I'm not willing to change the rules. If I'm gonna be a hopeless romantic, I might as well go all the way.

Tell anyone I admitted to that, and I will string you up from the nearest pole by your intestines. (cheerful grin)

But frankly--I know me being with Scott isn't worth the risk of either of us getting hurt.

I honestly don't know if me being with anyone is worth the risk of getting hurt.

Think maybe I should look into starting a cat collection? Maybe I should get a parasol too and start wearing straw hats… calling people Mary and Bobby no matter what their name is…

Hey, that sounds kinda fun!

But Remy--let me just say--I really appreciated it that you cared enough to call me on it. I'm not trying to sink into an 'I'm worthless' mentality, but sometimes…it's really hard. Thank you for saying my desires are just as legitimate as theirs. Thank you for encouraging me to go after what I want. Even though I can't do it, having you say that…felt really good. You know, sometimes I'm amazed at your way with words, it's more than I would expect from a guy who rents out bowling shoes. Here I would have figured that you'd driven insane by their sheer ugliness of the shoes and the smell of so many stinky feet, and in order to fight of the impending insanity you consume your life with online poker games.

And the smell would also explain your continued losing streak. Have I _ever_ won three games in a row before? 'Course, I don't think that this last game was really your fault, Rems. Your luck was _terrible_ that night! Maybe it was luck's way of making up for me being exposed to those masochistic muffins of DOOM.

Better luck next time,

Anna

PS: You have _no idea_ how much I wanted to tell Kitty about John communing with the squirrels. You owe be big time for keeping your secret, bucko. I think I deserve _at least_ your cousin's email address.

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Well, I can't tell you my last name--that would be going against the terms of our agreement, I'll tell you my middle name for future use. Somehow I have a feeling that this isn't the last time I'll get you hot under the collar ;). It's Etienne.

I'm sorry that you had such a rough week. It's just…wrong that the kitchen should be turned into a factory of death and destruction in the form of muffins. Back where I grew up, the kitchen was the heart of the home. To hear it so desecrated… I feel like I should be offering my condolences and sending you flowers. Where do you live again?

Though… I have to admit… hearing you held hostage in your own room by threats of a Boy Band Marathon I hilarious. And I think that you should do something especially nice for Kurt. After all, he did save you from the "Masochistic Muffins of DOOM." Why are the muffins masochistic, _chere_? Unless there's something you're not telling me…

Your letter gave me a lot to think about. You know you're one of the only people I know who gets philosophical in their ranting?

First, the issue with Scott. Well, I'm glad to hear that you're not holding yourself back out of some sort of a martyr complex. Any time someone thinks they're doing someone else a favor by hiding their feelings or sacrificing themselves, I'm tempted to just tell them to tie themselves up to a stake and be done with it. People deserve the right to take risks to get what they want.

Believe it or not, I respect the fact that your…attachments once formed are not easily shaken. And you did give me some good reasons for why you like him. But I hate how he's hurting you, _cherie._ If I ever do come up for a visit, be sure that he and I will have a little talk.

You know that I don't form attachments. King of Hearts, that's me--take 'em in but don't deal 'em out. The fact that you can--and do it so carefully, and guard it once it's done… I think I've given up on love long ago, _chere_, but I have to say that if I hadn't, I'd find your version of hopeless romanticism very appealing. And I also want to say that there's no way that you should settle for anyone who doesn't want you like they want breath--for however long that passion lasts. That's why I don't understand why you're hanging on to your crush. Honestly, the fact that the boy _doesn't_ want you should make him stupid enough to automatically cross him off your list of "people worth my time." Hell, Anna, _I_ want you and I've never even met you yet! Why do you think I'm trying so hard to get you to agree to strip poker? ;) The boy obviously has no sense!

Of course, I am known far and wide for my exceptional intelligence and good taste, not to mention handsome physique and charming manner, so that shouldn't be too much of a surprise to you! ;)

Don't worry, _chere_, you're still safe with me. For now. ;)

I must say, I admire your scruples about using people. But having experienced both sides of the coin, I have to say that your attitude is just not practical. People are out to use you, they're out to push and steal and step on and do anything to get what they want, when they want it. You can't turn down any advantage in a fight, Anna, and when it comes down to it: life is a fight. "Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me." You have to be one step ahead, you have to be that much sharper, you have to find their weakness and be unafraid to push at it with all that you've got if you want to survive in this world.

And I don't just want to survive, Anna. I want the good stuff. I want to thrive. And I'll do what I have to in order to do it.

But I will say that manipulation is different than forcing someone to do what you want. When you manipulate someone, they still have the option to say no. It might cost them, they might not see it, but it's there.

Can't help but wonder if this is what made you reluctant to start practicing your game face in real life.

Hearing you talk about this… it almost makes me ashamed of myself. Almost. Like I've told you, _chere_, life's a game. I can't promise that I won't ever play you--it's who I am and I'm not ashamed of it, it's gotten me out of too much for me to ever want to fight it. But I'm doing my best to show you that this is how life is, to make it so that you'll be able to protect yourself--even from me, if it comes down to it. You always mention that you don't want to hurt people, well, there are only a few people around who I care about if they get hurt or not, and you're one of them. But that doesn't mean that I won't hurt you. It doesn't mean I'll be able to protect you. I know myself too well to say that.

I've given you more than fair warning, _chere_.

Remember, you can always say no. You just need to be smart enough to find the loophole. That's the last warning you'll get from me.

Speaking of warnings… how about you give me the name of the kid that hit you? While we're still not sure if we're ever gonna want to meet, you wouldn't be opposed to me paying him a little visit, would you?

I didn't know you were a 'Get Fuzzy' fan, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You ever read "Pearls Before Swine?" I like the Rat, though I'm sure you're not surprised to hear that.

In continuation of the story of John and the squirrels… I passed by his room (he was frantically working on a manuscript--boss has been keeping us all every busy, it looks like the big project's going to fall into place soon. But far be it from him to give us an exact date! Oh, no, he'd much rather keep his employees uninformed, either under or over worked, and ignorant. At least the pay is good. Though I think this will be the last time I let myself be contracted as a team player. I've mentioned before that I can't _stand_ one of the guys here… sometimes it's all I can do to keep from exploding when he's in the room.) and there was a new decoration on the wall. It was framed…a piece of paper with ink blots and scratches and small tears. There were also a couple of framed acorn tops.

"John," I say. "What's that?"

"That, mate? It's me treaty with the squirrels. I actually made out better than I thought. Apparently, their leader likes me."

"Where did you get it?"

He gives me a funny look, "I told you, from the squirrels. Your hearing doing OK?"

I very quickly backed out of the room. He made himself a treaty and claimed it was from the squirrels. Sometimes, I really, really worry about him.

About that night--no, I don't think I've _ever_ lost three card games in one night before in my life. You're right, my luck was terrible. I could not get a hand to save my soul. Ah, well, you know what they say--unlucky in cards, lucky in love. Who knows but maybe my Lady is saving up to bestow some rare _belle_ on me? The scenes I've been traveling in have been getting boring… I'm looking for someone to make things a bit more interesting.

It's a good thing for you that my luck was so sour, though. I mean, after all as a history major who spends most of her time doing Civil War Reenactments, you must not get much time to play cards. That explains why you play online _and_ why you're so hesitant to agree to strip poker. You're scared that you couldn't do it without the rule book in your hand.

I must admit, I'm looking forward to some action, whatever the boss has planned. I've done more sitting around since I contracted him…though he's more than made up for that these past few weeks. He's a bit concerned about the strength of the point that he's trying to make, so he's making very sure that we're more than able to handle anyone he deems a challenge. I'm _so_ looking forward to a challenge, Anna, you've no idea.

Hopefully Lady Luck will smile upon me when we next meet.

Until then,

Remy

PS: Really, John's the one that owes you. If he flambéd my cards, I'd kill him, so he's the one you're really protecting. You want to communicate with my cousin, we'll have to work out...other arrangements. ;)

* * *

AN: Can't help but think how similar that song is to _"Oh Todd the Toad, Oh Todd the Toad, why did you have to cross the Rogue_?"  
Hex Factor Summary: Kitty makes muffins. They don't bounce, but they're pretty scary (though they do bounce in my story.) Not as scary as Wanda Maximoff, whom we meet in an insane asylum that her father Magneto abandoned her to when she was 8. Xavier's been visiting her, trying to help her control her mutation and her anger issues, but he wasn't having much success. Mystique busts her out and introduces her to a woman who can help Wanda harness her anger and control her powers. Wanda's main goal: revenge. Mystique intends to exploit this by setting Wanda on the X-Men and on her father (Remember, Mystique's still having a coronary over the Asteroid M debacle, when Mags said she couldn't come unless she beat Storm and Storm whomped her butt.) Mystique shows up at the B-hood house, kicks Tabs out of "her" room, Tabs waits for the B-hood boys to back her up, but when they continue to cower, she goes _fine_ and takes her stuff and leaves, leaving behind an explosive little present in Mystique's room. After Tabs leaves, Wanda shows up at the B-Hood house and chases Pietro around with a stick (not really, but you get the idea.) Pietro cowers and then tries to convince her that their father isn't all bad--Wanda beats him with a stick (not really, but you get the idea.) The B-Hood go to the mall and the X-men confront them there. According to my sources, during the fight Toad somehow knocks Rogue out. Don't ask me how this is possible, especially since Toad is usually Rogue's punching bag, I didn't write the cartoon. Then Wanda shows up and hexes the X-Men into oblivion. Pietro tries to cozy up to his sister--she shoves off his arm. Scott mopes. Xavier says that learning how to handle losing is just as important as learning how to handle winning. ('Xuse me if I think that about 50 extra danger room sessions would be more useful than the whole 'it's how you play the game speech,' but whatever.)  
I have no connection to Get Fuzzy or Pearls Before Swine, if you want to see them check out www(dot)comics(dot)com. I don't own Mars Attacks (WOULDN'T WANT TO) or any other movie mentioned. "Oh Tom the Toad" was a camp song. Entemman's makes yummy chocolate chip cookies and crumb cake, and I only _wish_ I had a piece of that! 

Review Responses: Once again I find myself pressed for time, so it's gonna be like last time. Yeesh, it's 2:10 am. But that doesn't mean that your reviews didn't make me really, really happy! They did!  
Special thanks to: **Dark Anime Love, Cat2fat900(**Thanks for the b-day wishes! Glad you liked the squirlyness!), **bored247**(PP rocks, hope you get a chance to read/see it someday! Almost there, just one more!), **ishandahalf**(You're _so_ right--I always think that Bingley looks like a duck and Jane looks like a swan--it's the neck. I also love the letter scene: "Insufferable!" Gah, the whole proposal/shut-down is great… stopping rant now. Honestly, I partially put that stuff about her still liking Scott in there to see if I could help facilitate that meeting…), **Rogue238**(thanks for the b-day wishes! Glad you enjoyed the squirrels as well!), **nlblake **(glad you're enjoying my Pyro stories), **sakura5tar**(sorry about the 2 day thing, this week's been nuts!), **heartsyhawk**(Happy almost birthday to you as well! Hope you enjoy yourself! Johnny hasn't been around recently, but I'll pass the message on as soon as I see him), **WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc, X-Girl**(thanks!), **addtothenoise **(thanks, it was a good b-day week), **Nettlez**(umm, I think it's "squeal," but I've noticed people type "squee" as well, so I dunno… Glad you liked it, though!), **Minx **(He's trying to be good…I'm saving that reaction for when they meet in person (and I kinda forgot about it when I was writing, but I'll work it in, don't worry!)), **Veronica Small **(Hey welcome back! Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, Ender's Game's amazing…Remy's trying to be more concerned about _her_ than he is about him…it's a new experience for him, and he's enjoying the novelty.), **punkrogue, Chained2aMask**(I've seen that too, archery scene's great! DoR coming up next!), **sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme**(LOL, good, glad you liked the insult!), **blaise91**(me too!), **Kat, **(Thanks very much!), **a dragons wings **(thank you, I'm really glad that you're enjoying my story and that you find it distinct! Hope you continue to enjoy!), **Realtfarraige**(Ugh, never have a seen a human being more resemble a pig than Mr. Collins in the A&E PP. Indeed about Colin Firth and the Dancing--good job picking out my subtext! Agree with you about first crushes…sorry I can't write more, so sleepy!), **wrapped in banana foil** (thanks!), **simba317**(sorry I can't properly respond, it's 2:02 am and I'm out of it--but thanks for the great review!), **NaijaStrawberrie, RavenKicksAss** (Sorry I couldn't get more into Wanda than this!)


	20. Here Comes the BOOM!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own X-Men...or Evolution. The chapter title is from the POD song of the same name, because when I think about this chapter, for some reason that's what came to mind and I decided it was applicable. I do not own POD either. I wish I owned one of these things, then I wouldn't have to work...

Written place shortly after "Day of Reckoning I and II" and "Day of Recovery"

**Warning: Things will now become slightly more AU. I am keeping to the timeline, but adding my own spice and some events will differ. I hope you enjoy it.** And there's a long Author's Note at the end of the chapter that's important.

* * *

Dear Anna, 

Got a bit worried when I didn't hear from you after the poker game on Friday. Then I realized--hey, there's no law that said you had to write me first. It's a bit different--to not have what's been going on with you to spring off of and just jump into what's been going on with me. Still of all the things I've been accused of in my life, shyness ain't one of them. ;)

So I think I'm beginning to have second thoughts about my job. We finally put the boss's plans into action…and let's just say that I'm not completely comfortable with the consequences. While the man's premise may be good, his execution was undoubtedly flawed. There were so many holes in his plan it should have been a sieve--unless it went down the way he _wanted_ it to go down, in which case the man's a bigger bastard than I gave him credit for. I know that he had two main objectives--announce that we were open for business and teach an "old friend" a lesson. I just don't like the way it went down.

Honestly now, I thought I knew what I was getting into when I took this job. _Mais_, it turns out to be more complicated than I thought. I'm contracted now, I'm committed--but I wish that I had found another way. I don't like the way things turned out at all, some lines just should not be crossed. _Mais_ at the same time, little kids shouldn't play with the big boys unless they're prepared to face the consequences. Still, the way I was raised I was taught that it was better for business to avoid all forms of collateral damage. At the same time, you know what they say about omelets… Oh well, what's done is done. But I can't help thinking that it was a frickin' mess.

Even though it all came together in the end, for a time it looked like a competitor had made a successful last minute play and had taken the boss out of contention. It really didn't look like he was going to make it. And like they say--if the man can't pay, why stay? Piotr was already getting ready to pack and head back to his family in Russia. _Mais_, it was not the case. One thing I will say about the man I work for--he's always got an ace in the hole. Needless to say, Piotr was very disappointed when the boss made his grand reentrance. Poor guy, he really wants to go home. Maybe I can talk the boss into letting him take a vacation, now that the first phase of our expansion plan is complete.

I'm guessing you saw that newscast this weekend--with what they're calling mutants living among us. You doing all right with that, _chere_? I can recognize how something like that would be pretty freaky. It looks like we've all got some adjusting to do. Can't say that I'm comfortable with the fact that there are people out there who can read my mind. _Mais_, where I grew up I was able to see up close and personal what unreasoning prejudice can do. I'm not about to make any snap judgments--it seems to me like those kids were trying to hide out and just live normal lives. You didn't ever hear anything about them before this--if they were out to cause mayhem, you'd think that you would have heard of them before, neh? Maybe there were some extenuating circumstances about the whole thing. _Mais_, it's obvious that something has to be done. People are panicking and I can't walk the streets without hearing some politician or another calling for registration or attempting to calm down people who are witch hunting their neighbors. This ain't a good situation, _chere_.

These mutants might be powerful, but there are a lot more normal people out there. If there's a war, like some are talking, then one side'd better be as quick and decisive as possible or else it won't end well. 'Course, war never ends well. I've seen enough life to know that. _Mais_, if it's gotta be done, it's better to be on the winning side, neh?

Heh, look at me going on about this. Sorry to get so serious, _chere. _I just can't help strategizing about the situation. Goes without saying that this is something huge, _non_? I'm curious about what you think of it…

Anyway, let me tell you about the best part of my weekend. Lady Luck, she must have been smiling at me because I _did_ run into a _belle femme_. Maybe I should say _fille_, _mais _with curves like that I think it's better off calling her a woman, _non_? We were both in a bit of a rush, but we shared one significant look before we took off. She has the most beautiful eyes… I didn't get to talk to her, _mais_ I gave her my card. I hope everything works out for her, I'd like to see her again…

I hope that I didn't freak you out when I said I wanted you. We've talked about stuff like that before, 'sides I think you know that I would never make you do anything that you didn't want to do. You don't have to worry about anything weird about that coming from me. You're the one that told me I look at girls like an all-you-can-eat-buffet, _chere_. It didn't mean anything. Don't be offended, how could it? Like I said, I've never met you, for all I know you could be as big as a horse and twice as ugly. But the fact of the matter is that if you're more attractive than a lamppost a man would have to be _missing a significant something_ to _not _want you--your fire, your passion, and your loyalty all shine through in your letters and it's an appealing light, _chere_. So don't be freaked out about what I said. You're still a stranger to me, I still want to want nothing from you. It's not like I'm lying awake at night dreaming of you or cutting off all other forms of companionship hoping for you. I said what I said partially to make you feel better, partially because it's true--buffet, remember?--, and partially because I wanted you to see how much you deserve to be wanted.

Hope that clears things up, if they got muddled. Go ahead and get mad at me for my womanizing ways. It's just who I am, _chere_. Wish I could say that I wouldn't be that way with you. But I don't think that would be true, and I'm not willing to lie to you. That's why I told you that I couldn't promise not to play you. That's why I told you that I'm the King of Hearts.

That's why I'm keeping us strangers. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't know if I could help myself. And being able to talk to you like this--just to talk with no hidden agendas or plays--it's nice. It's something I value, something I'm not willing to risk unless I knew the pay-off would be ten times better. But to risk that would put you in danger, and I'm not willing to do that, _chere_. So we stay strangers who talk.

You know all this about me already. So I'm just hoping that you don't yell at me too much when you get this. This isn't something I can change, _cherie_, it's who I am and it's what I need.

At any rate, no matter what happens I think I've found that challenge I was looking for--even if it's just to do what I can to moderate some of the boss's methods. _Mais_, I think that _belle femme_ I met…she might just fill the bill too. I do look forward to seeing her again…

Hope to hear from you soon, Anna.

Remy

X  
Two Days Later  
X

Dear Anna,

I don't know why you're not writing back to me. You know that I worry about you, _fille_. Why are you doing this to me? You enjoy making me sweat or something? ;)

We agreed that we would warn each other if we couldn't show up at the tables, why would you not being able to write to me be any different? Drop me a line, Anna.

Remy

X  
The Next Day  
X

Anna,

This isn't funny. I don't know what I did to upset you so much that you feel like you can't talk with me anymore. If this is because of anything I said or didn't say--if you don't feel comfortable writing me anymore, fine. That's not how I thought this would go down, but whatever.

I'm sure you have your reasons, and if you don't want to tell me what they are, fine. You don't want to take the risk on this anymore, fine. It's not what I want, but I don't care. I respect you too much to get in the way of what you think you need. Just let me know that you're OK and I swear I won't bother you anymore.

Remy

X  
The Next Day  
X

Anna--you're scaring me. If I don't hear back from you in two days, I'm going to start using all my contacts to track you down. I know you'll be pissed at me, but tough. I need to know that you're OK.

XxXxXxX

Dear Remy,

Oh my gosh, I'm _so sorry._ I never meant to worry you like this. The fact of the matter is that I caught something and I've been in the hospital for the past couple of days, I just got released today. Not a pleasant experience, let me tell you. The doctors had a _terrible_ bedside manner and if I never see another needle again it'll be too soon. Don't worry, I'm better now. In fact, I felt twenty times better the instant the doors slammed shut behind me. Still, I'm not technically supposed to be up and about. It was all I could do to convince them that I needed to use the computers. Finally, they let me get up out of bed…and by "let" I mean I snuck off while they were sleeping so that I could write to you. And it's a good thing, too! I'd rant and rave at you about getting all set to track me down, except for two things--one, I think it's kinda sweet, and two I don't know how long I have before they find me. If I cut off suddenly, don't worry about it, I just don't want to catch hell about how I should be resting. I took a beating, yeah, but I'm OK, it didn't break me. 'Sides, there ain't nothing you can't handle with just the right touch.

Dang, Remy. You really know how to make a girl feel special. "I want you because you're just another salad topping on my all-you-can-eat-buffet…hey, why am I looking at the salad when there's buffalo wings?" (rolls eyes) I feel so desired. Sometimes you're really creepy, you know that? But don't worry, I'm not the type to stop talking to you without explaining--at great length and volume--_exactly why_ I'm not talking with you anymore.

If some long breach in communication happens again…it'll likely be because of something like what happened this last time. And Lord knows I'm going to avoid that if at all humanly possible. I've never much cared for hospitals and now the feeling is magnified to the extreme.

Still even though your desire for me is strictly generic (and freaky in that I-can't-believe-my-pen-pal-is-such-a-womanizing-creep sort of way), I can't help but appreciate the genuine concern that you showed for me. I really am sorry for making you worry. And I really am grateful to you for keeping yourself away me. I know that this kind of… non-contact communication isn't you at all. The fact that you're continuing to do it, that you're staying away from me even when I'm this mystery to you--well, that says more about what you think of me than any amount of you telling me how you 'want' me. That you're determined to relate to me as person means more to me than any amount of pointless flirtation--and I'll admit (if you swear to never bring this up again) that I _quite_ enjoy your flirtation.

I'm not mad at you for saying that you want me, even though the fact that you're persistently selling yourself short of any real and meaningful and _true_ relationship continues to irritate the stuffing out of me, especially since you _could_ have one. And you deserve to have one--I honestly can't imagine the physical without the emotional. To me, touch is the epitome of the expressions of the heart. It's not something to be taken for granted. To be able to experience that is my greatest wish. I hate that you have the opportunity to find this out for yourself and keep wasting yourself on girls whose names I bet you don't even remember. You say that you "need" to be this way. Why, Remy? I'm just telling you this because… well, being in the hospital for so long made me take a long look at my life and I got to see what it was that I really value. I would hate for you to get to that point in life and look back and feel like you've wasted what you had. It's a crappy feeling. It made me make a few resolutions… Top on the list being to learn when and with whom to drop my guard for… I've let you see so much of me that even Kitty and Kurt haven't seen… and because of that I feel like I've lost out on what it would be like to really be their friend… but at the same time, I don't know how to fix it--we're just so different…

And I'm not mad at you for saying "to hell with it" and determining to find me and see if I was all right even when most of you thought that I was just giving you the Artic shoulder. In fact, if something like this happens again, I give you full permission to do so. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to see a familiar face in the hospital, especially when my friends came to get me out. Just do me a favor--if you find me and I've caught something or whatever and no one else knows about it--do me a favor and let my friends know. I mean, it's not like I'd recognize you if I saw you, and so how would I know whether or not to trust you unless you brought one of them along? I know, I know, it'd be much smarter of me not to trust you at all. But I can't help but trust you a little, Remy. Just like this. Just because I know that you don't want to hurt me, but you've admitted to me that you don't know if you'd be able to stop it. You've mentioned before that I might not know how much I'm telling you. I hope you know what that tells me. And just like you've said to me--Remy, you're a fighter. You don't have to do a damn thing you don't want to do. Hurt me or don't hurt me, it'll be your choice. Don't go blaming it on anything other than that.

Yes, I did see the newscast… though I haven't had much time to think about it, to be honest. I'm just trying to deal with the after shocks of the whole thing. But I think that a lot of what you said… about those kids not being out to hurt anyone and about how unreasoning prejudice destroys… makes a lot of sense. But other things that you said… I won't deny that the situation is scary. It's something that I wish I didn't have to face. But it's done and so I do.

I know that conflict--destroy what scares you--is what's in human nature. But I can't help but wondering why there has to be a fight at all. From everything I've seen, those kids were just living quiet lives before this big confrontation. They'll be good mutants and bad mutants just like there are good people and bad people, and maybe the government should take steps to make it so that the good are protected and the bad are punished… I don't see why there _has_ to be a war at all. I can see it coming. But I don't want it to. I read once in a David Eddings book that after a war, the countries difficulties were all settled around the negotiation table, and the character wondered what it would be like if they started there instead. I don't see why we have to jump into violence. It doesn't look like the mutants are attacking anyone--in fact, it looked to me like they were defending themselves!

Like I said, I haven't had much of a chance to think about it. But hey--haven't you ever wanted to be a super-hero? Some of those mutants on TV could _fly_. I've always wanted to fly… No wonder everyone's so scared… they're a little jealous too. I know I am. Flying is _such_ a cool power.

By the way, if there's one thing I've learned these past few weeks--I am definitely _not_ masochistic. The reason why I named Kitty's muffins that were simply because you'd have to be if you ate them. Ugh, at least she can't volunteer to cook me anything to help me get better--we're not letting her anywhere _near_ the kitchen.

I'm glad _you_ met someone you'd like to get to know this weekend. I think Lady Luck is getting back at me for giving me my shiny little wining streak. (Three weeks in a row! I think that's gotta be some sort of record…) I, on the other hand, ran into a think-he's-so-hot egotistical, irritating, smirking, obviously infatuated with himself, no-good, rude, rat-haired, underhanded, sneaky, manipulative _bastard_. Oh, it was just the perfect way to start off a truly wretched week. No wonder I got sick--it was probably just from being around him.

Granted, the boy had some charisma. And he wasn't altogether repulsive to look at. But there's no making up for what he did! Ugh, why do men have to be so _slimey_? And why--even if it's just for a split second--would I let a pair of pretty eyes fool me into ignoring the fact that the man in front of me is _obviously_ dangerous and without the slightest bit of conscience and not to be trusted with an Acme safe? Why did I even allow him to get _near_ me? I'm usually so much sharper than that!

If I ever run into him again… you'd still write to me if I was in prison, right Remy? I owe this punk _big time_ for what he tried to do to me. I can't believe I almost fell for it! Gah!

And the most aggravating thing is… and I don't know why… but I know I'd probably do the same thing again. There was just something about his eyes… Something that made me want to reach out to him… Something that was obviously deceptive and meant to entice me to relaxing just long enough so that he could try something. Oh, I _hope_ I get to meet him again. I'll show him just why no one ever messes with me and thinks to get away with it. Oh, I look forward to it, the jerk.

I don't know if I'll be able to come online for our game next week, but I'll make sure to let you know. I know, there's more to say and you probably have a ton of questions, and I didn't get to talk with you about your job, but my computer access is really limited right now and I'd better go before someone wakes up and finds me at the computer. I'll write when I can.

I really am sorry I worried you. And that I got you to thinking that I thought you were some kind of psycho pervert. Like I said before, if I thought that I would tell you. And if I have any say in it, nothing like this past week will ever happen again.

And Remy… thanks for everything.

Anna

PS--For a callous, over-zealous meter maid, you sure do make a good worry-wart! Maybe that's why you play poker, to relieve the stress…

* * *

AN: Yes, I put Rogue in Trask's hands for about a week. 6 days to be precise. (I wanted it to be longer, but couldn't think of any good reason for serious plotline delay, especially since the X-Men were given info from SHIELD…let's just assume that it took Fury a little longer to find them and that the info wasn't as good as it could have been.) No, **I'm not planning on mega torturing **her or any of the other captured mutants. I have my reasons, and they all revolve around Romy.  
I am not going to spend extensive time summarizing these episodes. If you want to **see the summaries **that I worked off of in order to write them, go to **x-men(dot)toonzone(dot)net/** and click on "**Episode Guide**." Basically, Magneto trapped the X-Men and the Brotherhood into being exposed to the public by staging a fight with his Acolytes. Rogue and Gambit "meet" for the first time, and he has the upper hand. (grr) A sentinel comes and manages to capture Rogue, Blob, Sypke, and Beast (it's already captured Wolverine.) Mystique blows up the mansion with Scott and the New Recruits inside. It also turns out that Mystique has been impersonating the Prof X since Hex Factor. Nick Fury shows up and gives the X-men info so that they can rescue the captured mutants; Scott tries to get info on the prof's whereabouts and ends up slamming Mystique inside of the mutant experimentation facility aka Area 51. The cops are after the mutants, so they can't go back home and end up hiding out. _That's why Rogue has to use the Blackbird to email Gambit…oooh, sneaky Rogue…_  
I've had a bunch of people **ask me** about **the format **of this story and so I think it would probably be beneficial at this time to explain exactly _why_ I entitled this story "A Comedy of Letters." First of all, because I as soon as I thought of it a little mental DING went off in my head and I knew I had a winner. Secondly, **I'm using the term "comedy" **in the Renaissance way, meaning that **it will end happily **(and usually with a wedding...though I think Rogue's a bit young for that here). So the letters will end happily (or at least that's my intention). The fact that I also planned on making them as amusing as possible also entered into the title, but it was a minor aspect. This is primarily a romance and as such it will also venture into drama and angst, because we all know that's part and partial of what makes up a good romance. That doesn't mean I'll be abandoning humor and John stories, it just means that the humor has never been my primary focus. **It's all about the relationship**. So for those of you who wanted to know: You'll get to see them in "real time" as well as letters in the future.  
Yes, I know--Remy didn't **"insult"** Anna… but that's just 'cause he was nervous. After talking about that whole 'did I freak you out' thing, he wasn't quite able to get back into the banter of the letter.  
Also, **I **apparently **messed up **on my summary and in bits of recounting Hex Factor…as I'm doing this from the website summary stated above, I do apologize and just want to let y'all know that I'll probably go back and fix it. 

**Review Responses**You guys are the best! I was determined to try to give you all the response that you deserve, but I felt guilty for how much room it was taking up. Just let me say how thankful I am for you all and that if you're enjoying this story you should give yourselves a big pat on the back 'cause you're helping make it happen!  
Cat: Heh, I meant to allude that _you_ were the leader of the squirrels, since I know that you have a certain fondness for Pyro… LOL, glad you loved the Toad song…camp's good for silly songs. Your review made me grin, as always! I'm looking forward to seeing what you think about _this_ chapter...  
Bored247: I have also burnt microwave rice--didn't put in enough water. Now every time I have to make it I double check.  
SweetRevenge151: You always pick up on the most interesting undertones of my letters. You're definitely right about writing having its disadvantages… Ah, Cajun Spice, the kidnapping/internet connection was something I hadn't considered before, but I have plans for that episode, yes, yes I do… Glad you're still enjoying it!  
heartsyhawk: You're right, I got it wrong in my summary (shakes head in shame). I'll fix it! Glad you liked the song and treaty…they were fun for me. I'm not sure if I should apologize about ruining "Tom the Toad" or not… I can't wait to see your reaction to this chpt!  
Rogue238: Here it is, the long awaited DoR--I _really _hope it didn't disappoint! Hmm, Scooterdink…must check that out SOON! Hope you enjoy!  
Dreamland:  Thanks! I know, I _really _want to work on SWD, but that story's a lot more complex to write and I really just want to get this story up to the part where they meet face-to-face. But thanks for the encouragement, rest assured that I haven't forgotten it!  
Kerrilea: (Grin!) Thanks for reviewing! Perfection in a can, huh? Well, dang. I hope that my AN answered some of your formatting questions, you're not the only one who's asked them and I just figured it was better to make an official statement. Hope you continue to enjoy!  
chicita: Yessir youbetcha! Challenge galore! Hope it didn't disappoint!  
RavenKicksAss: Before I forget again: Flips are chocolate covered pretzels. They are YUM. Thanks for the info on my messed up summary--I'm working off of online episode guides, so…(shrug) appreciate the correction. Ah, you picked up on my Toad attack foreshadowing…nicely done. Anyway, here's the update!  
They-Call-Me-Orange: I love Zebra and his Crocodile Frat Boy Neighbors. Yeah, comics are good… I'd love to work in a Wanda-Rogue friendship, but I dunno how I'd manage… we'll see… Anyway, glad to see you're still enjoying! Thanks for stopping by!  
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc Umm, not quite a _meeting_ but… well… sort of a meeting? I know, it probably doesn't count… but soon!  
wrapped in banana foil: This probably isn't the kinda meeting you wanted, huh? But it was plot development and… yeah! Well, whatcha think? And Get Fuzzy rocks, I got my friend a book of it for her birthday…  
Dark Anime LoveLOL, really? Wow, I'm so flattered. No, I haven't heard from your friends, but I'm just blown away that you were recommending it to others, that's so cool! What chapters did you send them? Not a funny chapter this time, but I hope to bring the humor back in the next one…  
ishandahalf: Well, I certainly want you to avoid a coronary! Tell me, is this the kind of meeting you were expecting? I feel like I went all "evil plot twist" on everybody, but I don't know why… Apparently I was wrong about Toad getting one over on Rogue and must now go back and fix my chapter, but I wanted to write this instead. Believe it or not, I understand your frustration with Scott. What do you mean, what foreshadowing? (looks around innocently) Man, I felt about as subtle as a led pipe, but it had to be done, and I'm glad that you picked up on it. So much more to type in response to your review, so guilty about making my review response section as long as a letter…  
NaijaStrawberrie: Thanks much! Hmm, well this is what happened during DoR… hope you liked it!  
Nettlez Thank you very much! ;0)  
Realtfarraige: I got the bouncing muffins from one of your earlier reviews, and I thought you were just being descriptive, but apparently you were completely accurate! I absolutely agree with you about Rogue/Wanda--but I think their friendship would be more of an understanding occasional thing than a constant hang out thing, their both loners after all. I also agree with you--Kitty should be able to give the baddies presents. They'd never know what hit 'em. Yes, I'll fix to Toad/Rogue bit in the other letter and I'll make sure to let y'all know when I do. Glad you liked Rogue's hopeless Romantic issues… I hope that Rogue will be able to get over Scott… I somehow thing that the appearance of a certain Acolyte might help… I'm _so glad_ that you caught on to the context of him saying that he wanted her--it was quite deliberate. He was trying to get her not to freak out… oh well, poor Remy. LOL, poor, unappreciated Pyro. ;) Gotta stop writing to you now, but thanks for the birthday wishes! Hope you like this one, I'm kinda proud of it.  
Chained2aMask: You know, I felt the same way--don't really know why I liked that chapter, but after I finished it I was very self-satisfied. So I'm glad you enjoyed it! Here we are at DoR! Yay!  
sheisbeautiful-sheisnotme: Yes, they're getting longer. I thought this would be shorter, but no… (shrug) what can I say? I write until they're done, lol. I don't know when she gives up on Scott in the series… but I'm working on ASAP.  
Kitrazzle Fayn Aww, thank you so much! I am now officially frightened of your friend Squee in the kitchen.  
Angelathene: Yup, foreshadowing indeed! So glad that it amused you, sorry this one isn't funny, but it's kinda necessary…  
sakura5tar: Thanks! Well, they "met," but… it didn't exactly go over like soap bubbles on a warm summer day. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!  
Minx: Heh, I think so too. I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, it's wonderful for John to have such faith in his employer… Hope you enjoyed!  
X-Girl: Thanks very much! They were fun for me.  
UncannyAsianGirl Wow, I can't believe that you had the stamina to review at 6 am, especially after reading all the way through! I feel honored. I'm very glad that you did! I'm glad that you're enjoying their dancing around the issues of their lives while trying to be honest with each other. Thank you for the complement on my Rogue characterization, I hope that it holds true throughout. Jean rubbing off on Rogue was scary for Rogue too, but she's learning how to control her powers and make that not happen anymore. I actually have plans for Rogue and her "Anna" name that I can't tell you right now, but let's just say that your points are well-made. I picture Rogue as a woman of very strong convictions… she has to be in order to not go insane. I hope you enjoyed the repercussions of Remy's "I want you line"… and the fun's only just beginning! I appreciate the correction about Rogue/Toad and Xavier/Mystique, and will go back and fix that as soon as I can. I'm working off of online summaries here, and I haven't actually _seen_ a lot of these episodes, so I really appreciate the feedback! Basically, I'm counting on them being too busy to think about the fact that they might actually know the other. And if it occurs to them, I'm counting on them to brush it off with a "nah, it couldn't be possible." Heh… yeah… here's hoping. Thanks so much for your review and I hope that you made it through school OK with 3 hours of rest!  
Arin Ross: I really appreciate your perception. There's nothing about Remy's relationship with Rogue that's simple, and writing it in this format makes that difficult to portray--because he's not making a play for her, it's hard to show how _deliberate_ and _contrary to his nature_ his non manipulation of her is. I'm very glad that you think I was able to portray some of that complexity. I liked your simile. :0) No, I've very deliberately avoided any mention about where either of them is from until this letter, but just to be sure I went back and checked… it's been very hard not to have Rogue call him Swamp Rat, but it's important later on that her only clue is that the boy speaks French. Good question, thanks for asking! I look forward to seeing your reaction to this chapter. Hope it stands up with the rest.  
nlblake: LOL, I didn't realize my Pyro story was evil! Oh well, I'm very glad that you're enjoying it, as they are very fun to write.  
RogueBHS: Wow, thanks! Yeah, no IM convos, sadly--it was pointed out to me that that's against FF regs. I don't think the others are thinking much of Rogue being on the PC… after all, it's not like she's on all the time, it's more of a weekly thing… Thanks for reviewing!  
vodkamms: Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!  
Orion Kohaishu: You're a lucky girl, Ori--I got your review just as I was typing up review responses, so I was able to respond to you in this, yay! Well, I'm glad it makes you happy. This chapter…not so happy, but I'll do what I can to bring it back in the next bit… I see much relieved joking in the future, but then my future-telling skills have always been somewhat questionable… Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know it made you happy, that just makes my night!


	21. Bluffing in the Blind

**Disclaimer**: I still do not own X-Men Evolution and I most emphatically deny any attempts to steal them. Did you hear that? _Most emphatically deny_.

Written place shortly after "Stuff of Heroes."

* * *

Dear Remy, 

So…it's been an interesting week. And when I say interesting, I mean every extreme of that word from "I'd rather eat toe jam" to "I just can't tear my eyes away."

On the plus side, I was out shopping with Logan and managed to talk him into letting me drive his bike. You _do not know_ what a huge accomplishment that was. The man babies his Harley like it's made of glass instead of finest steel. Though I don't know if he'll let me drive it again any time soon. Despite my best intentions, I got caught up in the excitement of the chase and, well, let's just say the man has a few more gray hairs. But I didn't do anything too dangerous! In fact, I'll protest to my dying day that each and every one of those stunts was _necessary_ and that I carried them through _responsibly_ and didn't do it for the adrenaline rush _at all_. And I'll thank my lucky stars that I'm not a wooden puppet with an expandable nose. Seriously, though, it was a great ride and Logan was quite impressed…that we got to where we needed to go in one piece. Well, you didn't _need_ a motorcycle's driver's license back home, just to bat your eyes and let one of the boys loan you their bikes… Ah, the good old days. Logan does _not_ fall for the "bat my eyes" routine. 'Course I don't know this from _experience_… more of a result of observation…Kitty and Jean, you see.

Then, of course, there was dealing with some pressing assignments that the Head of the boarding house where I live left behind. It was…challenging, to say the least. It required a lot of team work and plain old stubbornness. We were completely on our own, having to work with what we'd been taught.

Logan could have stayed with us, he could have helped… but he disagreed with our take on the situation and so… it was just us. He's always been there when we needed him, so I was… surprised when he bailed on us. But it was our assignment and we were the ones that needed to do it. And as it turns out, we didn't need him. We finished it ourselves, and we finished well.

It makes me _dang_ proud to be attending this school.

I got to work pretty closely with Scott on this project. It was almost fun, despite the high pressure situation. We make a good team. He's good at planning things out and I'm good at rushing in and grabbing hold of something and throttling it till we're done.

Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about you and what I think about you. :-p Last time you wrote me you talked about how much you didn't like your job, and I was too focused on your referring to me as a side-dish on your buffet-of-girls to comment on it. More than ever, after this week, I am convinced that you shouldn't waste time doing things that you don't want to do unless it's absolutely necessary. Is your doing this job absolutely necessary? I know it can't be all about the challenge, because you, my friend, would get into trouble just walking down the street if you wanted to.

And I just can't not talk with you about this… I am really curious about your opinion. I'm guessing that you saw the newscast, with the fight and the following Presidential speech. Man, that fight was…something else. To see it on TV, it's hard to believe it was actually real. I never thought I'd see the day when it would be impossible for me to tell the difference between really good special affects and reality.

I looked up the word "Juggernaut." It means "An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its path." That man certainly picked a good nickname. Did you _see_ the way he pushed through tanks and choppers and that dam? _Damn._ If those kids from the other newscast hadn't shown up, I don't think anything would have stopped him. And he didn't seem to have any _goal_ in mind, he was just mindlessly destroying everything in his path. I've met rabid dogs with more sense than that man.

It was obvious to me that it was a clear good vs. evil fight. Juggernaut was trying to destroy a dam, the "X-Men" were trying to stop him. Kinda eerie, they didn't look much older than me. That lady--Storm--she said that they were just doing what they were trained to do, using their powers for good. Imagine having to train all the time for that? The pressure must be immense. Especially after having your secret revealed after so long and being blamed for that whole Sentinal thing. I'm _so glad_ that the President found out who was really to blame for that and had the operation shut down and the man who captured those mutants thrown in jail.

Vigilantes scare me more than criminals.

It was equally obvious to me that if those kids had _wanted_ to cause permanent damage, they could have. They could have fought the military. They could have started a war. They didn't. instead, they protected the ones who were weaker than them from someone who was almost stronger than them.

So much power is frightening. It doesn't matter who it belongs to, just the fact that it exists is frightening.

The government has agreed to keep the identity and specific powers of the mutants involved as secret as possible, but somehow I don't think that's going to be sufficient for their privacy. After all, they were caught on TV. And in this day of the internet and information… I wonder if they'll ever feel safe again.

Still, I'm glad that the mutant registration act didn't pass. While I can see the usefulness of the government having a sort of directory of those with powers, at the same time I don't like people being 'registered' and monitored before they've even committed a crime, just because of who it is that they are! It's not even an active matter, like following a belief system, it's simply a matter of _how they are born _and they don't deserve to be treated like criminals because of a simple matter of birth. After all, they've been living with humans for so long without causing any undo trouble, why would they behave any differently now that they're known?

I can understand why everyone's scared. I just hope that people don't become stupid because of it.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to sign online for a friendly game. I'll let you know, right now I'm writing from a public internet terminal, as the internet access in my home kinda….blew up. We're working on fixing it, but the server is completely fried and it was kinda a big problem and a lot of people around are dealing with it, so sadly it might take a while.

Still, we're all together and it feels good.

Wow, I didn't realize how much of my letter got taken up with current affairs! It's a sad, sad day when the news is more interesting than my life. I guess I'm still recovering a bit from my bout in the hospital, and you really wouldn't want me sharing my nightmares with you. Right? Of course right. Well, I look forward to having a more interesting personal life as soon as I go back to school. Whoopie.

I'll look forward to playing you again once we get our internet back. Until then, you can use the time to practice. After all, as a misanthropic portrait photographer who was recently hired out to photograph weddings and christenings, I'm sure that you could use the break. In fact, that explains why you play online poker. You hate the interaction with people, but just can't escape your love of cards!

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

A misanthropic portrait photographer? That's rich coming from an anti-social high school guidance counselor who's so addicted to Poker Party that she even plays during appointments!

Still, _chere_ it's good to see you up and about in the land of the living. That time in the hospital must have really thrown you for a loop. I'm glad that you're feeling better. What _happened _to you, Anna? Was it sudden, do you know why it happened, is it going to happen again? You didn't give me much information about your sickness, _chere_, but if it was bad enough to put you in the hospital for a whole week… I really wish you would.

Seems like you had a real bad experience. I've come to hate needles, myself. It's sort of instinctive--I don't like things probing around inside me. That's usually _my_ job, neh? ;)

But you're OK now? All that stuff you had to do for your school, it didn't mess you up or anything? More than you already are, that is? You were talking like you didn't know when or if you'd have a relapse…

Shame about your internet connection. Guess now you really will be reduced to public libraries to feed your addiction, since I really don't foresee you going weeks without a friendly little chat with _moi_…or a poker game. ;)

I didn't _think_ you were the type to just stomp off and stop communicating without explaining "at great length and volume" why you weren't talking with me. That's why I was so concerned. At first I thought it was just 'cause you thought I was some creepy internet stalker type--but now I know that you just think I'm a creepy womanizer type, and I'm fine with that because--who can argue with the truth? Though I _will_ say that any one of my conquests may choose to contest the "creepy." _Mais_, it's just they fall under my charm and their lives are never quite the same again.

I have to say that I don't know whether to be amused or angry at your little experience with that…what did you call him? Oh yes, a "think-he's-so-hot egotistical, irritating, smirking, obviously infatuated with himself, no-good, rude, rat-haired, underhanded, sneaky, manipulative _bastard_." You got all that from _one_ meeting, _chere_? I'd say this boy knows how to make quite an impression, at least. What'd he do to make you so mad that you couldn't take care of it then and there? 'Sides, as I think the line goes "me thinks the lady doth protest too much." At this point, I'd welcome just about any distraction for you from your perpetual crush on Scotty, since evidently the fact that _I_ want you isn't enough to do it. ;-p Must be because you haven't seen me yet, Anna. That's the only possible explanation. Ah, I do look forward to that day… and then, maybe you'll introduce me to this boy too, neh? Sounds like he might need some lessons in how to treat a lady. Still, I'm glad to hear that you're up to taking care of it yourself.

Be careful, Anna--you say that you'd do the same thing, something about him makes you want to reach out and help… that's the oldest trick in the book, right after "taking advantage of the sorrowing widow," comes "taking advantage of a woman's savior complex." Some men you just can't fix and you'll get broke yourself trying. Trust me on this one, and keep your guard up.

Let me tell you something else, Anna. You don't ever have to thank me for caring about you. It's a joy to actually be able to care about someone… and not have to worry about them getting hurt. I want you to know that you can tell me anything. I'm not gonna shut you out. Like I said, you're one of the few friends I have and I'm not gonna let anything hurt you if I can help it. But I can't help it unless you tell me. I'm not pressuring you, girl, I just want you wanted you to know.

On to "current events." Well, the news _should_ be more interesting than your life, neh? After all, you wouldn't really want that stuff happening to you.

I can't say I'm too surprised about your attitude towards mutants--it's that mixture of hopeful cynicism that I've so come to appreciate about you. You recognize that there will be problems in the future, but still you're hoping for the best. I have to admit though, I think that some of what you're saying is a bit naïve. It's ridiculous to expect people with that much power to be content to simply live and let live, and it's equally ridiculous to expect the majority to just sit still and let themselves be subjugated.

Like I said before, it's gonna be a war. And both sides need to take ruthless action in order to come out as the winner. Right now, the government is attempting to follow a middle line, but that's not gonna cut it in the long run. People tend to extremes, especially when they're threatened. If _you're_ frightened by that much power, and you still see that mutants are gonna be good or bad depending on who it is that they are, imagine the fear in the minds of the people who automatically group people together. And the government isn't going to be able to do a thing to stop those extremists. The KKK comes to mind. And that's _if_ the government continues this "moderate" attitude, and we don't know what will happen if it feels threatened. The treatment of the Japanese during WWII comes to mind. And if the mutants fight back? What then? War, _chere._ It's already war.

It would take so little to set it off. Just one or two mutant led atrocities for the "humans" to become enraged, just a few more publicized human witch hunts for the mutants to react with violence… I really don't see a peaceful solution here. The only way to end a war is to win it.

I wish it didn't have to come to this, but I know human nature, _chere_. These next few years… they're not gonna be pretty. I guess we can all be glad that it's not our lives on the news, neh?

'Bout my job… I guess I just don't see any alternative, _chere. _I don't really approve of the boss's methods, but I find what we're doing to be very important. And the challenge has just…gotten more interesting. I'm here on contract, and even though there's nothing _personal_ about when I'm doing business, I still believe that my boss has the right idea and I'm committed. … don't tell me. I _should_ be committed if I keep hanging around these folks. I know, I know…

Speaking of work…I've been tip-toeing around the office recently--the head man is _fuming_. Even though he pulled off his last plan without a hitch, somehow his competition still managed to "delay the inevitable." My boss was never the most pleasant of individuals to begin with…he's very…_intent_. Focused. But right now… (shudder)

_Some_ people, however, just don't know when it's a good time to shut up. Let me tell you what's _not_ a good idea, ever. Waking up everyone at the base by singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" in a loud off-key squeak. Yes, John's at it again. Yesterday, the man was our living alarm clock as he had somehow found a karaoke machine and several speakers. He hooked up a Garth Brooks style microphone to it and was parading around the kitchen singing--you guessed it--"Yankee Doodle Dandy."

I have never responded well to waking up early. Apparently, neither does anyone else. We all stumbled to the kitchen to see what in the hell had happened, and if we all had accidentally entered it.

The kitchen looked like it was the inside of a bowl of batter. Batter was--literally--dripping off of the ceiling, off the walls, into puddles on the floor… I didn't even know it was possible to _make_ that much batter outside of a factory. And standing in the middle of the mess was John with the biggest grin on his face and a blow torch in his hand. He was in the process of frying some of the batter on the counter with the blow torch and the smoke detector (which we've installed in practically every area of the base due to John's strange obsession.)

"John," I said. "What are you doing?"

"Making waffles, mate. Want some?"

Our boss snapped.

John's currently discovering the many uses of a toothbrush that do not involve cleaning _teeth_.

Maybe I've already been committed?

At any rate, Anna, I look forward to our next game. At least we can get some comfort in the cards, neh?

It's good to be talking with you again. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Remy

* * *

AN: I know, it's been ages! I'm bad! I know, I'm sorry! You guys should have been up to chapter 30 by now and they would have met and it would have been so nice and I'm SORRY. I won't do it again! But if you kill me, I won't be able to write again either!  
Day of Heroes Summary: Wolvie and Rogue are getting supplies when they're spotted by the military--Rogue gets to drive the motorcycle away to where the rest of the X-men are hiding in a cave. Wolvie wants to fight them but Scott says no and Logan takes off in a huff. X-Men escape only to find that Juggernaut is lose and causing mayhem. They stop him (well, they distract him long enough for Rogue to grab hold of him and then use his own strength to manipulate him like putty). The world sees the X-Men's heroism and responds favorably. Rogue figures out where Prof X is from Juggy's memories. The X-Men are let off the hook and Magneto and the Acolytes see it all happen from their cushy couches in front of the tube.  
Technical Terms: This chapter title if based off of pokerness-- "Blinds" are the forced bet amounts that the first players of a hand must bet if they want to play. Bluffing is, well, pretending to have something when you're not. If you bluff on the blind, it's kinda dumb since you're usually better off just folding, but if you _must_ play your hand (like if you're really short stacked) and regardless of your cards you put all in, then you're bluffing in the blind. Which is kinda what Rogue and Gambit are doing while they talk around the current mutant circumstances…  
I promise a face to face meeting within the next four chapters.

* * *

I really do feel bad about how long it's been since y'all have heard from me, and about how long it's taking me to write the first date scene in SWD and about how long it's taking me to have Remy and Rogue actually _meet_ in this story… in order to make up for it, I am going to attempt to bribe you all with a _Random Romy Moment_. Yes my dear readers, this is pointless fluff at its finest. The following was originally written for "Stolen Hearts," but since I've put that on hiatus and don't know if I'll ever pick it up again, and even if I do the certainty of including this scene has wavered, I decided to use it as a bribe. 

In case you've never _read_ "Stolen Hearts," Anna-Marie Darkholme (also known as Rogue in the story) is engaged to Pietro Maximoff, and Remy LeBeau's got his eye on her. They're on Remy and Pietro's high school reunion-thing touring through Greece. It's a no power AU where Remy's a hidden thief and Rogue is an author. That should be all the background information you need in order to enjoy this scene…

XxX

Remy had separated from the others and was enjoying some privacy. He was leaning casually against the wall in the alley of a nearly deserted street, smoking a cigarette and enjoying the ocean view when he heard a sound and straightened up suddenly.

He knew that sound, it was high heals running.

_What's dis?_

To his surprise, it was Rogue that came around the corner, her eyes wide and anxious. She quickly ducked against the corner of the wall and pressed her back against it. She didn't even notice he was there.

"What you running from, _chere_?" he said.

Her gaze flickered to him in an instant, and he found himself trapped in her eyes again before she looked away. "Ah'm hiding from St. John."

"_Quoi_? Why?"

Rogue groaned and rolled her eyes, risking a quick look back into the street. "He wants to write a collaborative effort with me. And Ah don't want to hurt his feelings. He's going through enough with Wanda right now. How can Ah tell him that Ah don't want ta write with him? Our styles are totally different! He'd have the main characters in the sack before we even started the first chapter! Ah can't write with him--"

"Shelia?"

"Oh crap," Rogue whispered.

Remy's eyes flickered with amusement. Writers.

Rogue shoved off the wall and looked like she was about to start running again.

He caught her arm, gently. "He'll just follow de sound of your shoes, _chere_."

Rogue glanced down at her high heals and grimaced. "Can you hide me, Remy, please?" She looked back up into his eyes and he was caught in them again.

"Anna-Marie?" John's voice was even closer now.

_Never could turn down a damsel in distress, _he smirked. "Don' forget ya asked for m' help," Remy warned her.

Then he pushed her back against the wall, tangled a hand in her hair on the side of her face closest to the street, grabbed her hip with his other hand and pulled her against him, and bent down and kissed her.

Her lips were so soft, he felt like he was falling into her. The feel of her curves pressed into his body lit him on fire, and he pulled her a little closer.

Rogue opened her mouth to speak a muffled protest, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, using his grip on her hair to pull her face closer.

He felt her relax against him and her hands encircled his waist, holding him against her. He grinned against her mouth and just when he was about to trace his tongue against her lips, St John barreled around the corner.

"Oy! Can't ya keep that in the bedroom, mate?"

Remy pulled away from Rogue slowly, using the grip that he had on her hair to hide her distinctive white streaks and turn her face away from John.

"Dis one is wort' a little immediate attention, _mon ami_," he grinned and planted a kiss on the curve of Rogue's exposed neck. She tasted good, so he did it again, this time using his tongue. "Now if ya don' mind," he raised his head and glared at John.

"Oh. Right," John turned away to go, then turned back, "Hey, don't suppose you've seen Rogue anywhere, have you?"

Remy rolled his eyes, pausing from trailing small wet kisses from the bottom of Rogue's neck to her ear. "What do you t'ink, _homme_?"

"Right," John said. "Coulda sworn she went this way. Oh well," he muttered and turned to look down another alley way.

Remy smirked, _Damn I'm good._ His thumb caressed her neck where he had been kissing it and he tilted his head to find Rogue's lips again, kissing her hungrily. He slid the hand on her hip around to her backside and started caressing it lightly.

Rogue brought her hands away from their position around his waist and ran them up over his chest.

The sound of St. John's footsteps faded away.

She shoved him back and off of her with all of her strength.

Remy stumbled a few steps back. Then he approached her again with a smirk and a wink, "You're welcome."

Remy saw awareness flash in her eyes for a moment. And he knew that she knew that it had been a good idea. He also knew that there was no way she was going to admit it to him. Which was fine with him. It gave him a chance to press his luck a little further.

Remy took another step closer to her.

Rogue slapped him, hard across his face.

His eyes flashed and he reached up one hand to rub the spot, "What was dat for?" _As if I didn't know._

Her mouth dropped open in shock, "What the hell do ya _think _it was for? What do you think you were doing, kissing me like that?"

_Too easy_. Remy stepped closer to her, "I was helpin' you! You told me to hide you, I did."

"You took advantage of the situation!"

Remy shook his head and chuckled, "_Mais_, if I took advantage of the situation, I would have kissed you like dis--" and he grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her into his embrace…

Where his other kisses had been hungry and demanding, this one was no less full of desire, but it was softer, more tender. He had been kissing her as if she was just some random girl he had picked up. Now he was kissing her as if he was kissing _Rogue._ Gently demanding, tenderly passionate, coarse but somehow respectful. He dipped her slightly and one hand found the back of her neck under the curtain of her hair and was stroking it gently as his kiss intensified.

He didn't want to let go, he was losing himself in her… but in order for his plan to work, she had to come to him willingly… Still, he couldn't just let her go. It took three or five more small kisses on the outline of her mouth before he released her.

Remy was breathing hard as he stared into her eyes, and Rogue's breath was far from steady as well.

She took a small step away from him and looked down before lifting her head again staring at him for a long moment. He couldn't read what was going on in her head through her eyes, but he prepared himself for another slap.

Then her lips tweaked upwards in amusement. She began to laugh, big belly laughs that sent her whole frame shaking. Rogue shook her head, smirking as she calmed down, and without another word she turned around and began to walk out of the alley.

Remy was fairly sure that he should be insulted. That was _not_ the response he had been expecting. It only served to intrigue him more…

"What's so funny, _chere_?" he called after her retreating figure.

Rogue paused and turned her head over her shoulder to answer his question, "Ah just realized that St. John woulda sold his eyeteeth ta be a witness ta that scene. It would have made a starring performance somewhere in the middle of one of his next novels." The thought evidently tickled her fancy again, because her smirk returned in full force and she was giggling a little as she walked away from him.

_Writers,_ Remy sighed as he watched her go. He lit another cigarette, but didn't put it to his lips. He still felt the pure sensation of Anna-Marie's mouth there, and he wasn't quite willing to part with it just yet.

* * *

**Review Responses: **(Tap Tap) Is this thing on? Yes? OK. I AM SO SORRY! I hope you guys are still out there and still remember this story! 

Cat: You made a picture of the treaty! No way! I WANNA SEE! That's so cool! Hope you liked the John story--written with you in mind!  
Nettlez: I'm glad you liked it! I had fun with it and I'm glad you did too.  
Minx: You are the winner of the first usage of "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" prize! Congratulations! I know you would think Remy would recognize himself, but he doesn't think of himself as having rat-hair…  
Rogue238: I'm hoping that everything went OK at the docs, I'm so sorry it took me this long… Well, I hope that you enjoy these next couple of chapters, as I've been looking forward to writing them for ages. I have plans about the whole "Anna" thing, I just hope that it works out…  
NaijaStrawberrie: Thank ye!  
bored247: Hey, so, what did you think of PP? I hope you liked it and that it was worth missing lunch! Thanks for reviewing!  
ishandahalf: LOL, I'm going through the reviews and I see your name and "EEK" and I immediately laugh. Anyway, I agree, yes, it is almost anti-climatic, I'll just have to make sure that their real meeting is really good. And bribe readers with "Random Romy Moments." And hopefully they'll all forget how long it took me to update… Yes, I'm creating difficulties with opposing views re mutants. But I figure that Remy grew up with the whole Assassin/Thief thing (AND in the South), he's naturally inclined to look at this conflict as a war that needs to be won. We can just hope that Rogue talks him out of it… Hmmm, yes, the womanizing issue…I have plans for that as well…bwa ha ha. You're right, he SHOULD get that in his head, but he's a bit thickheaded…it might take some pain to get through to him. I wish I could write out his response to that, but he's too sneaky to engage in that kind of conflict at this point. Points for "Methinks the lady" and I'm SO glad that you enjoyed their meeting-thoughts. Sorry about the ODed bunny… will try to fix that…  
SweetRevenge151: Ugh, I know what you mean about that whole letter-writing thing. See, the thing for Remy is that he thought he creeped her out with his whole "I want you" thing and then he started getting all paranoid about his protective issues and Rogue usually writes back immediately… and yeah… Indeed, line crossed. Yes, it was their first meeting and no, they didn't realize it. Their eventual realization has brought me amusement when it comes, and I trust it will do the same for you…when it comes. Hmm, you're right about the friends reactions. I think they'll be keeping their meetings secret anyway because of that whole "opposite team" issue, but you're right, there _is_ that stigma to meeting over the internet… for anyone who hasn't experienced it, at least… interesting…  
addtothenoise: Hello! C'mon, wouldn't you want to fly? I do. (Grin!) I'm not dead, even though it might seem like it from my utter lack of reviewing or updating, and I'm really sorry! Hope you're doing well!  
The Past: Well, thank you very much for taking a look anyway! (Grin) I'm really glad that you let me know that you liked Rogue's description of Gambit. Yes, he certainly does have his work cut out for him. Heh heh. I'm glad you liked how I pulled it off, yay! Thanks again for reviewing!  
Dark Anime Love: LOL, I'm so glad that you're enjoying this that much. I went back to look at those chapters again and was like--wow, cool. LOL, anyways, thanks again for the recommendation! I'm really, really glad you're enjoying it.  
Arin Ross: Hi! Sorry! OK, first of all, I don't know why they call him _Le Diable Blanc._ I just know that they do. It must be a Cajun thing. My thesaurus thanks you for the complement regarding the insults. Heh, the salad buffet…yes, I'm glad you liked that. Well, they're both a bit curious, and I can't imagine them not talking about it… Well, here you go! An update!  
Chicita: Yes, it's coming! And I would never put in this much effort without a happy ending (shudders). I'm a sap that way. Hope you enjoy the meeting when it happens!  
Shi: I'm honored that you find my story an exception to the rule. Thank you very much for your analyzation and review, it was greatly appreciated!  
RogueBHS: LOL! Yes, their reactions when they meet should be very interesting… Sorry about the long delay!  
wrapped in banana foil: Yay, Lizbeth! I'm glad you really liked it, thanks!  
Le Diable Blanc: Err…sorry? More coming soon!  
punkrogue: Thanks much!  
Chained2aMask: LOL! Nope, not smart enough. But soon…really soon! Before Christmas!  
X-Girl: Thanks! Sorry about the delay! I'm looking forward to writing their meeting too!  
MiruSedna: Your review inspired me to make Remy a little bit more tricksy in this letter--he's not gonna out and out accuse her of anything, but he will do his best to invite her to confide in him…he smells that something's not right. I don't think "flying is such a cool power" is _that_ much of a tell, since… I would have said it, lol! It's one of my favorite powers. So, here it is… hope it works for you!  
IvyZoe: Rogue's definitely more traumatized than she's letting on… I mean, that's her character in the first place, but in the second, there's just not much she can say about it to her online buddy, neh? LOL, yes, but it's fun to have clueless characters. Glad you liked "Remy's little freak out." Hmm…I can't answer that question about the power-flare up without giving away too much Romy goodness. Well, they'll find out soon who the other is, and then…dun dun DAN! Anyway, thanks much for reviewing, I'm glad you enjoyed it!  
Silver Ink: Thanks! I really like your pen name, btw.  
Tigerfreako1: Within the next four updates. Promise! And before Christmas!  
Yoru91: Dude, sorry about that. Heh, glad you liked that insult. Yes, real time meeting within the next four updates!  
Sakura5tar: Thank you! Glad you liked it! Sorry about the massive delay!  
Gambit's Belle Rogue: Dude, do not so demean yourself with a Jean comparison (shudders). You're here now, that's the important thing! Glad you came along for the ride, sorry about the huge delay!  
Realtfarraige: (Hangs head in shame) So, so sorry! Anyway, Cajun Spice is a ways away, but… (smirk) they will be meeting soonish! Yeah, I'm having Remy be a bit ruthless in his viewpoint of the whole mutant/human thing…he grew up in a "gang war" in the deep South with all that prejudice…he's gonna be a bit of a bad guy… until he's not. Yes, at least he disagreed with the method. Neither of them actually _say_ they're not mutants… but they're not out and out claiming anything either. Heh, I'm glad you think that he's smitten… it should be interesting when his lust meets his concern for her, don't you think? Oh, he thought he scared her off because of the whole "I want you" thing, and then he just freaked out 'cause her not getting back to him was very unusual. You're right, you do have to wonder who funded his experiments. She was pretty beat up inside the base, but when she got out--tap to Wolvie and her bones are all better! Yay! Indeed, I can't blame her for liking Gambit's flirtation either. No, I'm not anticipating a Carol Danvers in this story…(maybe in the sequel? If there is a sequel?). LOL, I'm really glad that you liked their reactions to each other. Good point about the 'eye' thing. So thanks very much, Real, your review was brilliant as usual and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  
Kat: Thanks! Looking forward to turning up the temp in later chapts. Hope you continue to enjoy!  
Rogue14: Wow, I can't believe you did that either! Bravo to you! I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope you continue to do so!  
ImpishEyes: Wow, welcome to FF! I'm really glad you enjoyed my story! Thanks for reviewing!  
Simba317: Hey, you're late, I'm late…let's just forgive each other and move on… umm… please? (really, really sorry!) Chpt 19 response: Yes, Remy definitely helped her get over Scott once he started showing up. It's hard to get over your fixation when there's nothing else to fixate upon. Lol, glad u liked her threats. Indeed, good Rogue analyzation. Hmm, you're right, Remy does also have a martyr complex. That stuff about opposite optimists and pecimists was right on the money! About the manipulative thing: that's definitely the way he sees it. Chpt 20: Yup yup. Heh "sarcastic phrase of the day." Yeah, they're both following a "don't ask don't tell" guideline in regards to the mutant issue. LOL, I'm so glad you liked Remy's response to Rogue, yay! You're definitely right about his response to her not writing him back. Yeup, she enjoys the flirting! I'm glad you liked that bit about the choice. LOL, I loved your representation of "Rogue's conflicted." Thanks very much! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!  
Luna Mae: Hey Luna! Your review totally rocked, it absolutely made my day! (Also made me want to update, but then the motivation was stolen via my little brother, so…) Thanks so much!  
Orion Kohaishu: Hey! "Two and Two together and came up with a doughnut," is just SUCH a great line, I may have to borrow it someday. I'm really glad you're still enjoying the story. And yes, the man's name _has_ become an adjective.  
Tropical.Belle: Thank you so much! And yes, they will meet up. And soon.  
Romy13: Thank you!

Special credit and thanks to Raven and Arin who have reviewed me mercilessly until I updated and who helped me not forget about this story!


	22. Fear is the Mind Killer

**Disclaimer**: Even in my dreams, I don't own them. --Hey you! Put down that dream journal! PUT IT DOWN, I said! That's none of your business!

Written place shortly after "Mainstream." (Rather long AN at the end of chapter)

* * *

Dear Remy, 

I hate school. I mean, I know I've never really _liked_ school, as has been evidenced by referring to it as an institution for making carbon copies of thoughts and turning the individual into a homogenous composite of the _norm (_or the IMCCTTIHCN for long and unnecessarily complicated, just like geometry), but now I really, really _hate_ school. Education is supposed to help eradicate ignorance, not frickin' encourage it. Ever since this mutant thing, I feel like I'm going to school with a bunch of neo-Nazis. Ignorant, racist, stupid neo-Nazis who are encouraged by the authorities to look down and isolate and beat-up on other _people_. I hate seeing this encouragement of frickin' hatred. OK, so people are scared. We're all scared. But that doesn't give anyone the excuse to attack first and ask questions later. If people would just stop and _think_ for a minute, if they would ask questions instead of jumping to conclusions. But no, even the authorities are encouraging the masses to blind action.

This stupid fear and ignorance separates friends. If someone is suspected of being a mutant, people immediately scuttle away like the 'suspect' has some kind of plague or something. Hello, common sense to the rest of the world? The bubonic plague was in the _middle ages_ and being a mutant is a matter of genes and evolution and completely _not_ contagious.

I mean, I knew that high school friendships were shallow, but does the fact that Jimmy can breathe underwater and Stacy can, oh, I don't know, phase through walls _really_ change the fact that he picked his nose all through eighth grade or that she was the only one to give you a Valentine the year you got braces? No? I didn't think so. Why can't the world see that people with powers are still just _people_ with the same insecurities and desire to be accepted as everyone else? They haven't ever _changed_, their powers have always been a part of them.

Hell, I know how scary it is to be suddenly introduced to this world of "people with really freaky powers." It happened to me too! But my point is that they're Still. Just. People.

If they didn't hurt you before, why would you think that they would hurt you now?

If they would just _talk_ to each other… but no, it's all murmurs and pointing and nastiness.

I refuse to believe that it will stay like this. It will either get worse…that war you keep talking about… or it will get better. Humans will come to regard mutants as just another aspect of life to be dealt with. Mutants will learn how to control their powers and use them to the benefit of society, and then become integrated into that society.

And as for the mutants like Juggernaut…mutants like the X-Men will kick their scrawny butt five ways from Sunday until they get it into their thick Cro-Magnon-like skulls that just because you're stronger doesn't mean you have the right to tell anyone what to do.

I swear, what they say is true: everything I need to know in life I learned in kindergarten. There are bullies, and you just need to keep standing up to them until you finally punch 'em down. Tammy and Patti may not like each other, but when snack time comes around they'll stand next to each other and play nice until they get their treats. When you're cranky it's a good idea to take a nap. And boys have cooties.

Speaking of boys… you asked me how I was able to form my impression of that _jerk _so quickly. Well, let's just that _certain actions_ leave _unmistakable_ impressions. I can't get into specifics…I'm not really interested in putting a hit out on him, after all, and I'd much rather handle him myself, but let's just say that…you're right. He _definitely_ needs lessons on how to treat a lady. Though from what you've told me about your behavior to the opposite sex, I'm not sure you're the one to give him those lessons. ;) Wouldn't want him to receive any tips. He's deadly enough already. And he'll be dead enough, as soon as I see him. So no worries, Remy. :)

On a similar and somewhat brighter--if mildly ironic--note, Jean finally broke up with Duncan. (And there was much rejoicing throughout the…right…) He said something stupid and she finally realized--Hey, this guy is cruel, ignorant, and with an IQ that doesn't even match his _shoe_ size, why am I with him when I could be with sweet, constant Scott? So he says something stupid, she goes "Ugh, we're over," and grabs Scott's hand and walks away. I don't know whether to be amused or irritated. I mean, she's been playing with the guy's heart forever, and now that it's convenient for her she just grabs his and suddenly they're a couple? Man, if only I had known it was that easy. Oh right, I'm not Jean… You know what? That's OK, if I was Jean I would have had to have been dating Duncan (shudder) and not even being with Scott would be worth that torture.

I guess break-ups are contagious, and while I've been rooting for Jean to dump Duncan, I can't say I'm happy about what happened between Kitty and her boy. Yes, the boy acted like a fool and yes, he acted like a thug, but I spoke with one of his friends and it appears that his actions were not his idea.

Oh well. If he's willing to let her go and cave into his own insecurities like that, then he's not good enough for her. I know that I can't look to the girlfriend to reform the boy, but I still can't help but be a little disappointed that Kitty wouldn't see how much this hurt him. That she didn't work with him through this. I mean, true, you can't date for potential, but still… She knew what she was getting into when she started to date him, she shouldn't flip out now like it was the first time that she saw it. If she just couldn't handle it anymore, that's one thing, but to blame him for every stupid thing that she's already forgiven him for… I dunno. I've more of an 'either forgive completely or don't forgive at all' type of mindset.

I guess I just feel bad for the guy. He's lost so much in his life. Even though, once again, he and his friends acted like total fools. Sure, they were set up, but they didn't have to _take_ the bait… Argh! Every time they pull something like this I'm glad that I stopped hanging out with them. But at the same time… it's hard, because I _know_ them and I hate to see them being such _idiots_. I wish there was some way that I could show them that they didn't have to act the way that they do… but they see things too black and white for me to talk to them--I'm a "traitor," you see. I dunno, Remy. There's gotta be a third option for these guys. I just wish…

Oh well. It's their choice. They want to act like fools, I'll just have to settle for being around to smack some sense into them, and hopefully keep _too_ much harm from being done.

At any rate, I think that was _quite _enough random rambling, what about you?

Man, I haven't been much fun recently. First I get sick and freak you out, and lately my letters have been full of political and boy oriented rants. I _know _how much you're gonna love hearing about the whole Scott/Jean saga. Sorry about that, Remy. It's just that so much is going on, and everybody else here has their own issues to deal with… Besides, I honestly do value your opinion and am curious about what you think regarding these issues. You seem so set on the idea that mutant/human issue must be resolved in conflict. Why is that? And it's always interesting to get a boy's opinion about relationship issues.

I really do appreciate your concern about my time in the hospital. It came on all-sudden like, but it doesn't appear to be a reoccurring condition or anything. I just need to take more vitamin C and stop hanging out where I can catch it. So, yeah, no worries. I have _no_ intention of getting sick again when it's so easily preventable.

Besides, have I mentioned I hate hospitals? Yeah. I won't be back there any time soon, unless, you know, the situation with Kurt and Kitty (Kitty is relieving some of her post-break-up stress by overreacting to Kurt's…well, maybe she's not really overreacting, honestly that boy can be exasperating! But anyway…) drives me crazy before then and I'm admitted to the mental ward. Maybe your friend John can keep me company? What the _heck_ was he doing making waffles with a frickin' _blowtorch_?

Wait, this is the same guy who made a treaty with the squirrels, right? I'm not sure I want to know…

Anyway, we've pretty much got that internet problem all fixed, so I'm looking forward to playing you again, let's say…this Wednesday night? That is if the world's biggest "Crocodile Hunter" fan can pull his head out the mouths of his collection of stuffed crocodiles long enough to manage a game. Not scared, are you, Remy?

Later,

Anna

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

Well _ma chere_, you never cease to surprise me. Just when I think you've gone and completely gotten over your little crush on Scotty-boy, you do or say something that proves just how infatuated you _still _are. Despite everything, despite the fact that you know he's unworthy of you, you still like him. Is your loyalty really that unwavering? I don't know whether I should be admiring, envious, or irritated. I think maybe it's a good thing we're not around each other right now…I'd be seriously tempted to try and "knock some sense" into _you_. Knock something into you, anyway…

_Damn, _girl, you've got to get over this! I have absolutely no respect for this…puppy that you've allowed yourself to become infatuated with. _Look _at him, Anna! He follows this other girl around for months like a pathetic little lap dog and then as soon as she gets into a tiff with her current boyfriend he lets her use him as an excuse? Does the boy have no sense of self-respect?

Don't tell me you're regretting his finally getting what he wants. You had your chance to make a move, don't tell me that now you wish you had taken it. I may be a gentleman, _cherie_, but I am not above a good round of 'I told you so.'

Still, I really hate to see your beating yourself up over this…_boy_, _chere_. Even now, I bet if you really applied yourself, along with a few tips from myself, of course, I bet you could make him flip his head for you. Not that I'd give them to you, now. I'm all for taking your pleasure where you can, _mais_, this _boy_ has so demeaned himself that even if he was willing and you were begging for it, I wouldn't let him _touch_ you. He's not good enough. _Finis_.

I won't apologize for anything that I said, but know that I didn't say it to offend you, Anna. I'm just sick of watching you be hurt. And that seems to be all he does. It's enough already.

And that must be the way your friend Kitty feels too, neh? Sometimes, it's just enough.

I know that you probably think I've never been in a serious relationship before. That's not entirely true. There was a girl, once. I might have even loved her. I don't know, now. I know what it's like to have to break something off that, once, you would have sacrificed everything to keep. _Mais_, sometimes these things… they just end. There's a difference between keeping an oath, keeping your word, and everything that comes before that.

Believe it or not, I do believe in marriage. I believe in keeping promises. I may be a liar, but I never break my word. And marriage is a sacred promise, one where so much more is at stake than just feelings. Feelings come and go, _chere_. (Except for yours, apparently. _How_ long have you liked this boy?) I think that's why I'll never marry. Why tie myself to something that I would only learn to regret?

Take a lesson from your friend, Anna. Learn when it's time to give up.

I can't tell you how I admire your tenacity. But in this case, it is misplaced.

Look at this. You've got me talking like a lawyer.

Tell you what, _chere_. If you're still hurting from this…_boy_ in two weeks, let me know. You tell me where you are and give me fifteen minutes and before you'll have had a chance to clock the time, I'll have made you forget that you even _knew_ him.

'Course it might require a healthy dose of Southern Comfort and an introduction to my friend Jack Daniels.

What? What were _you_ thinking? (Smirk)

I don't think I understand your sense of responsibility towards the boys that you used to hang out with. It seems like every time they give you a hard time, you feel bad for beating them down. Do you feel guilty for leaving them still? Or is it something else entirely?

And I don't mind you writing to me about serious issues. _Mais_ as long as you know I won't always take them serious. ;) I don't want to ignore what you're saying about the mutant issue. I find your opinion on the subject…valuable and unique. And I have to admit that a large part of my time has been preoccupied with this issue. I wonder how you can hold on to your perspective in the face of the inevitable circumstances.

Sounds to me like your school is already turning into a war zone. I don't know how you can doubt that this won't end with violence. Just look around you, _chere_. Everything is a power struggle. It took place in your cafeteria even _before_ these lines were drawn. What do you think's gonna happen now that the stakes are raised?

Life and poker have an awful lot of similarities, _chere_. In high stakes poker, only the best survive, and only one player's the winner. And everyone else is a sore loser. It's just life.

But I will tell you that your ability to look past the obvious threat posed by mutants, to look at them as people… that is something that is both inspiring and, I think, very true.

But don't get me wrong. It's because mutants are people too that they are just as dangerous as everyone says that they are. When people are threatened, they reach for a gun. Punch a pacifist enough times, and he'll eventually punch you back. That's just the way it is, _chere_.

Case in point: Piotr. Now normally you couldn't find a nicer guy than Piotr if you Googled it, but something got his panties in a bunch and he's been snapping at everyone recently. John even baked chocolate and peanut butter cookies for him--Piotr's favorite. (What, you can't picture John cooking? You're right, the man burns water. But he does try…he even has an apron…pastel pink with big red words on the front: Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. But on rare occasions, the man can _bake_. I don't know how he does it. I've always thought of myself as a connoisseur of the finer things of life, and when John has one of his rare 'baker' moments, I swear it could be served in the finest restaurant _anywhere._) This was one of John's finest attempts, and Piotr could barely manage to thank him before walking away. When John persisted in following him, the cookies ended up embedded in the wall behind John. The only reason why they didn't end up clocking Johnny-boy on the head was because he saw something shiny on the floor and bent to pick it up just as Piotr snapped.

I wonder how that quarter got glued to the floor? (Looks innocent)

But my point is, you _see_ the bigotry that surrounds you. How long do you think it will take for just a few of the bullied and marginalized mutants to snap back? What do you think the repercussions will be?

Even if it's not a planned war by the mutant terrorist who exposed his fellow mutants in the first place, war _is _coming between "humans" and mutants. It's inevitable.

Is it right? Is it the best possible outcome? Is it fair?

It doesn't matter. It _is_.

On a lighter note, I look forward to our upcoming game. It's been too long since I've had a proper challenge. I've been beginning to think you were avoiding me, afraid to break your winning streak, _chere_? Oh well, it was bound to happen someday. That is if a carbon-copy Martha Stewart wanna-be can stop writing petitions to get Martha's record expunged on the basis of her contributions to humanity long enough to make an attempt at something so crude as cards.

See you then, _cherie_,

Remy

PS--oh, and _chere_, you don't have to worry about entertaining me. I can entertain myself. Talking with you is my dose of real and I value your friendship whether or not it's fun at the time. Write to me as you are, that's all I ask.

* * *

**Summary**: Basically, the X-Men are putting the mansion back together again and go back to school as exposed mutants, except for Kurt who no one recognizes because of his fuzzy blueness. The X-Men are given a hard time and the Brotherhood only exacerbate the situation when Kelly talks them into going back to school and bullying everyone: "If you can't be liked, be feared." There's a school meeting that Jean speaks at to attempt to convince the school and parents to continue to allow mutants to attend public school. The brotherhood almost ruins it completely, but the X-Men save the day and are allowed to continue to attend school. Umm, yay? And Wolive has a talk with Piotr where we learn that he's working for Magsy against his will. Really is an excellent episode, check out "beyond evolution" for a complete summary. 

AN: This one was kind of hard to write, because I really wanted to get into Rogue's reaction about Kurt ducking out on their friendship and Jean's speech and the terror of returning to school as an exposed mutant--not only for herself, but to be scared for all her friends. But I already felt like I was giving away too much as it was. And so I just…stopped. Was it just me, or when Remy said "I'm just sick of watching you be hurt," did anyone else get the urge to add on "And I'm jealous as hell."? or maybe that was just me…  
Great Rogue quote from this episode:  
Kid: Hey, what's your special power? Can you like read my mind?  
Rogue: Yeah, like I could find it.  
Bwa-ha-ha, if only if could have let her relay that to Remy…  
Right, so here's a new and interesting fact: _I've updated my user profile page!_ I'm actually gonna use it to tell y'all when I plan on updating and--if I haven't updated--why. I'll probably put in a few general life things in there too, in case anyone's curious about who or what I am…doing, yeah, what I'm doing. And I've recently added a 'fun' section full of something I think is 'fun' so go take a look and if I'm gone for a while and you start getting antsy, check out the page and it should have some answers for you! And for this chapter only I'll be posting my review responses for anonymous reviewers on my profile page. And if you didn't get a review response before you read the chapter, wow, you read it from it's posted state really fast! Oh, and hey, feel free to use that new 'send message' feature. And Arin, Raven, and Minx (my faithful AR written in alphabetical order), _please_ make it easier for me to respond to your reviews by getting an account! It's just that I value your reviews and want to respond like you deserve!  
"Fear is the mind killer" is a quote from Frank Herbert's Dune.


	23. Call

**Disclaimer**: I do not own X-Men Evolution. Right? I'm not sure...it's been a long day... But that's OK... right?

Written place directly after "Stuff of Villains"

* * *

Dear Remy, 

a;lskjf olhiwjtfawlkjndsf ijsalksdfmn uhgnaw ; ijfslk aosigfai jmigj abjnafv;au hy aigjhaowieft nfv aougiha k! ALSK BGUOIWE **FGHJ!**

I just had THE MOST frustrating day. As if school isn't bad enough on its own, the _people_ I have to deal with…

I'm on my way to class when I see one of my friends is being picked on by a bunch of puerile, bombastic, gauche bottomfeeders. I'm not _about_ to let that stand. Not that Evan can't take care of himself, but he shouldn't have to. And besides, attempting to pound sense into the heads of those so painfully ignorant that it should be made illegal is fun.

When they see that Evan isn't by himself anymore, they leave, but only with that most _irritating_ of last-resorts: "I'm telling!"

Sure, _they _can pick on whoever they want, but let it get a little hot and who goes running? Thought so. ARGH!

I tell Evan to get out of there and that I'll go take care of them. Truthfully, I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to _do_ when I caught them, but I was sure as hell gonna figure something out.

So I find them and who do I see with them? You won't believe it. _I _almost didn't believe it, and I saw it.

Who should I find "gallantly" coming to my defense but that low-down, no good, sneaky Swamp Rat? Oh, I recognize that Louisiana drawl anywhere! Yes, I'm talking about the bastard from a few weeks ago, that chauvinistic, arrogant, incompetent, impotent jerk! I swear that swagger he calls a walk is compensating for something.

So of course, seeing as how we are previously acquainted and all, I decided to ask him just what an _obviously_ overage no-good lout like himself was doing on school grounds.

"Just passing by, _cherie_," he says. Remy, you are the only one who should _ever_ say "_cherie_." It's so damn patronizing coming out of anyone else's mouth. "Nice day."

'Nice day?' After the crap he pulled? **_'Nice day?' _**And before I even get to show him just how _nice_ the day can be, the lowlife up and walks away! So he saunters off _slowly_, all casual-like, and I can just _tell_ he's up to no good. The man--boy--_ass_, just _reeks _of trouble! Even worse than his a;lskjfg cigarettes.

Now I'm really irritated. And suspicious. He just did _not_ seem like to the type to start something with me and then walk away unless he had more pressing business. And whatever business he was involved in was bound to be dirty. It seemed to me like the situation demanded my immediate attention.

Besides, I had a grammar test in French sixth period. Like I'm ever gonna actually _use_ French. _C'est ridicule. _

Kitty comes by and she recognizes him from our earlier encounter as well--"Isn't that…" she says.

"Yeah," I say. "And he's up to something."

"We should go get Scott," she says. "He'll know what to do."

Oh yes Kitty, let's go get _Scott_. (rolls eyes) Two conversations with my current favorite people in a five minute spectrum. Just fabulous.

And meanwhile, Swamp Rat is rapidly disappearing. How is Scott supposed to do anything about him if we can't find him?

"Forget that," I say. "There's no time. Let's follow him."

"But what about sixth period?" she says.

Sometimes I fear for the future. I really do.

So anyway, we follow him… and let's just say that my suspicions were proved correct. We contacted the proper authorities and BAM, walked right back home into a lecture.

Yeah, a lecture. After "saving the day" and everything.

"You can't just go running off every time you think that there's trouble."

"You should have called us."

"What happened to sixth period?"

That fear for the future I mentioned? I think it's becoming a pressing concern. WHO FRICKIN' _CARES _ABOUT SIXTH PERIOD?

Eesh, you skip half a day _once_…

And now, to top it all off, I'm grounded. "The only outside you'll see all week is if I'm running you," growled the Logan.

Ugh! Where is the justice in that?

Plus Kitty's grounded too. Do you know the consequences of severely irritating a kitty-cat? Let's just say I'm sleeping with one eye open.

I love my life. Really, I do.

…OK, I'm back. Kurt just popped in and needed some _encouragement_ to leave me in peace. Strangely, I feel much calmer now.

Oh, look at that. While I was away I got an email from you. I hope you don't mind, Rem, but I'm gonna finish responding to your _first_ email before I open up that one and respond to it. You leveled a lot of heavy stuff at me in your last letter. I guess I'm not looking forward to seeing what was so urgent that you couldn't wait to tell me.

I'm not mad at you, though. I've got enough other things to be mad about. Besides, as usual, you make a valid point.

Believe me, I _wish_ I could be over Scott. I don't know why I'm not. I mean, you would think that just his reaction to today would be enough to make me move on. But I just..._can't_. I wish I knew why. It would be so much easier to just be his friend instead. But I just...I keep...I wish he would touch me. But that will never happen. And I know that. I do.

But I don't understand why you're so mad _at me_. I mean, it's not like I can help how I feel. And even if I could, I wouldn't just abandon Scott--he deserves to be liked, he's a great guy… one who seriously needs to learn to do things on impulse, but he reached out to me when he didn't have to, he takes care of the kids at the mansion, and has been stubbornly loyal to the girl that he loves. She's just not me.

Damn, I hated writing that. Enough of this mushy stuff. At this point, I'm probably more mad at myself than you are.

And OK, yes, people can be stupid (I think I just provided, like five examples of that stupidity in this email alone), but that doesn't mean that there necessarily HAS to be a war. Yes, if you push someone hard enough, they're going to push back, but that isn't necessarily a _bad_ thing. It all depends on who's doing the pushing.

If both sides can show that they are willing to live side by side, and each accepts that both the "humans" and the "mutants" (they're both human, if you ask me) have their fair share of wackos but that for the most part each are just _people_, then I don't see any reason why there must be a war. It won't be easy, true, but it'll be worth it.

And to tell you the truth, I really don't think it's impossible. I mean, like I said, wackos on both sides, but there are also people who are willing to _push back_ the ones who are ignorant and hateful.

And as long as the sane people win out over the wackos…we'll be in good shape. That's the _real_ war, Remy. Between those who want to rule the world…and those who just want to live in it.

Well, I'm off to dishes duty. All week. Can you feel the excitement? I know I can…

Later,

Anna

P.S. See you at the tables. After all, as a colorblind artist living completely off of your great uncle's inheritance you should have plenty of time on your hands…

XxXxXxX

Dear Anna,

I can't think of anything else to do to constructively blow off some steam than to write you. _Mais,_ maybe I can, but I doubt you'd classify what I'm thinking of as _constructive_. Plus, I want to get this to you now, because I don't think I'll be showing up on the tables tonight, and since I made such a big deal about you telling me, I wanted to tell you. After all, as a frustrated veterinarian who feels honor bound to become a vegetarian but is having intense red meat cravings, I figure our little games are your only safe outlet. ;)

'Sides, I _know _you've secretly been waiting to hear all the details about me meeting my mysterious _belle_ of the challenge.

The day starts off with a little prospect for entertainment. The boss wants me to run an errand--sure, I could be insulted by being assigned such a menial task, but then I see who just _who_ I'll be delivering my message to…and I begin to see the possibilities of the situation. There's a firm loosely associated with our own that we sometimes use to handle small jobs… true, intimidating them isn't exactly _fair _since they're kinda…easy to intimidate. It's not much of a challenge at all. _Mais,_ it's been so boring around here… I'll take what I can get.

I'm walking along, intent on my work when suddenly I notice that this group of thugs is harassing my pretty _fille_ and one of her friends.

While I am confident that she can handle herself, a man just doesn't like to see other men surrounding his girl.

'Sides, I'm not much of a fan of stacked odds…'less I'm the one that stacked 'em, of course. ;)

So like the gentleman I am, I go over there to convice the group of bullies to leave the girl and her friend alone.

It only took a little friendly persuasion before I could see that their collective IQ was functioning well enough to know when it was time to get the hell out of Dodge.

So then my little _fille provocante_ comes up to me, glares at me like I'm some sort of cockroach, and asks me "YOU! What are you doing here?"

"Just passin' by, _cherie_," I said and walk away. I can't believe it. Here I am, just trying to help, and she gets all snippy with me! I mean, sure, she's _belle_, but that's no reason to get all in my face! Spoiled southern belle…yeah, the girl has a sexy drawl I'd know anywhere. And she's sassy. Mm. Just the way I like 'em. (smirk) Oh yeah, she'll be begging me to stay soon enough. But until then…she needs to learn how to express her gratitude a little more thoroughly.

So I leave. I've got things to do anyway.

And then, would you believe it, she actually _follows_ me? Now do you see what I've been telling you: I'm irresistible. Of course I knew she was there, she was dragging her friend along with her. How could I not know? I'm almost insulted to think that she thought it would be that easy.

_Mais,_ it was flattering, so I make sure to go slow enough so that she can track me but fast enough so that she doesn't overhear my business.

I deliver my message with my usual panache and flare, and enjoy myself thoroughly. There's just something so… satisfying about proving, once again, that I am the best there is at what I do.

Still, my job wasn't quite over yet. My boss might have outsourced the job to this firm, but that didn't mean it didn't warrant a little supervision. I was under strict instructions not to interfere, _mais_, what's the harm in a little observation?

And observe I did. Much to my amusement, my pretty little _fille_ and her friend managed to not only follow my associates, but unknowingly and--most gracefully--managed to do the work _for _them. Which, honestly, was a good thing for my associates since our boss would have been _most displeased_ if they had failed.

It was…quite enjoyable to see her in action. I was almost disappointed that I couldn't…interact with her about her work. _Mais,_ for now, it's enough to just watch.

Speaking of just watching… I hope you've given what I said about Scott some serious thought, _chere_. Time to get out there and find yourself some deeply distracting alternatives for your attention.

So actually, on the whole, my day was not so bad. I got to see my little _défi chérie_, play knight on a black Harley, and mess around with a few of my more annoying acquaintances. Still, I'm frustrated that I didn't get to do more than exchange a few words with her. Someone needs to give that girl an attitude adjustment. Make her more… accepting. And I am just the man to do it.

At any rate, I just wanted to let you know how my day went…something in me told me you'd appreciate it. 'Sides, I think it's your turn to rant at me, _non_? And I wanted you to know, that despite how I may have sounded in my last letter, I'm not mad at you. I just want to see you happy, and I know that Scotty-boy's not doing it. And…despite what I think about the reality of the situation, I wanted to tell you that…the world you describe where mutants and 'humans' see each other just as people…sounds nice. Impossible, yes. But nice.

Think I'm gonna go now Anna, time to work off some frustration in a much more _active_ manner. I'm going out on the town tonight, _chere_. Don't miss me too much. ;)

Maybe we'll play Friday night instead, _cherie?_ After all, I do look forward to our games. But right now…I need to go out and _do_ something so bad I don't trust myself if I stay in doors. Of course, that's just showing good sense, ne?

Oh, what's this? An email from _mon frere_. Looks like I'll be on the computer a bit longer, then. _Mais_, that's all right, as long as I get out of here _soon._ I'm looking forward to hearing back from you. 

Until then,

Remy

XxXxXxX

Across Bayville the two recipients of these simultaneously read e-mails had the same thought: "Oh _crap!_"

* * *

Translations: _C'est ridicule. '_That's ridiculous.' _fille provocante _"challenging girl,"_défi chérie_, "darling challenge," _mon frere_ "my brother" 

AN: Oh no she didn't! Oh yes she did! (Does a happy cliff-hanger jig) I can't tell you guys _how long_ I've been waiting to write this chapter.  
Heh heh. Don't hurt me! Those of you reading "Dance" shouldn't be _too_ surprised that I did it this way… was _anyone_ surprised? What did you guys think? I hope it didn't disappoint… (Oh, and AR...your review responses are now up and will be up for about a week...hope you don't miss them! Hope to hear from you!)  
And...wow...over _500_ reviews...I'm just...wow...Thanks you guys, your encouragement has really meant a lot to me. I've been looking forward to this chapter for so long...can't wait to hear what you think!

Summary: Wanda wants to find Magneto so she can kill him, but nothing's working. So she tricks Pietro into going and being captured by the army. Magneto is too much of a chicken to face Wanda, so he sends Gambit to the Brotherhood to get them to rescue Pietro. The Brotherhood messes up, Rogue and Kitty save the day (with some help from the army, whose sergeant says that 'not all mutants are bad'), and then Gambit comes back to the Brotherhood and says that they're "losers" and have a new leader now: Pietro. Blah, blahdy blah, blah, _blah_. GAMBIT AND ROGUE TALK TO EACH OTHER! Yea…right before he goes to the B-hood house and gets them to rescue Pietro…and it's really short…and we were all like--THAT'S IT? Or maybe that was just me…

'Call' is a poker term. Basically it means to put down the same amount of money as the bet previous in order to see the other person's cards... granted, not the best title, but I figured you wouldn't want to wait til I got a great one to read the chapter.


	24. Let the Games Begin

**Disclaimer**: Not even in my imagination would I claim to own X-Men. That crosses the fine line between "imagination" and "delusion." Hmm...where _did_ I put my eraser...

_(If you see something that looks like this, you'll know that it's one of Rogue's psyche's talking)_

All translations are taken verbatim from Babelfish and if it got something wrong, let me know and I'll fix it. As always, translations are at the bottom of the page._  
_

Written place before and during "Blind Alley"

* * *

Rogue slammed her laptop shut and shoved away from her desk so hard that her chair almost tipped over. 

_Please don't tell me Ah read what Ah just thought Ah read._

She eyed her laptop warily as if it was about to spring to life and attack her.

_Then again, stranger things have happened. And speaking of stranger things…_

Rogue took a deep breath, edged her chair back over to her desk, and opened her laptop again. She quickly reread Remy's most recent email, hoping against hope that she had only imagined the words on the screen.

No such luck, they were still there: "Just passin' by, _cherie_."

_At least he left out the "Nice day," part this time, _Rogue thought numbly, staring blankly at the screen. Slowly the rest of Remy's email and all of its implications sunk in, and Rogue felt herself begin to panic.

_Wait a minute…what the hell does he mean, _"his girl_?"_

Part of her knew that Remy had probably just been trying to bait her with his chauvinistic attitude, but it was one thing to get mad at him over his treatment to women in general, and another thing entirely to see this attitude towards _her_!

_That…that…and Ah…with him…_

"Argh!" Rogue screamed at the top of her lungs.

BAMF

"Is everything OK, Ro--"

Rogue didn't even bother to turn around. "Kurt, if ya don't skiddaddle _right now_, you're going ta wake up with one half of ya a lot less fury than the other. And Ah ain't tellin' which half."

BAMF

Coughing on the sulfur and brimstone smell he had left behind, Rogue found herself fiercely pleased that she had even that little vent of her emotions. Even that brief outburst of anger had focused her and drawn her out of her panic.

She glared at the screen, and then realized: _Oh God, he's probably reading my email _right now_! Ah won't let him get the upper hand in this too! _

Uncertain how she should respond, even how she should _feel_, Rogue fell back on her old stand-by: she got mad.

XxXxXxX

Dear Remy,

Well apparently you're not an overgrown forth grader with eccentric and debase obsessions or a fifty-eight year old drunk dentist with a strange fondness for westerns and Doc Holiday and poker by association.

No, instead you're a lackey for a megalomaniacal villain who _wears a bucket on his head_.

Congratulations on the downgrade.

X

_Chere,_

Imagine my surprise to find that you are not a fashion designer with a fetish for tin foil or even an elementary teacher out for a walk on the wild side!

Instead you wear spandex and fight to save the world on weekends, stealing only a few moments of normal time in the world of online poker.

Let me just say, I think that suits you. Especially the spandex.

And I assure you, I'm not _compensating_ for anything. I'll be more than happy to prove it to you, just name the place and time.

Remy

X

Why you unmitigated jackass! How dare you say something like that to me, now that you know _damn well_ why I can't make a move on Scott, why I isolate myself, and don't do all those other things that you were encouraging me to do like I was a _normal girl_. That's _fine_ when you thought I was one. But I'm _not_. And you of all people should understand that.

I can almost understand you attacking me; after all you're working for Bucket Head and how could you have known it was me? We're on two different teams, and because of you and your _master _I had to…never mind. But everyone's exposed because of you. How can you _live_ with that?

And then you go and say something like that… Before: fine.

But now that you _know_…I thought you would at least respect whatever friendship we had enough not to rub it in.

X

Anna… I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. But you've got to admit that you were provoking.

I am grateful for your willingness to talk to me even though I attacked you--it's true, I wasn't attacking _you_, I was attacking an enemy, but even so I never meant to seriously harm you. I'm guessing that week you were gone…you weren't really sick, were you, _chere?_

You know what? This is ridiculous. Here we are in the same town, I finally get a chance to _meet _you and we're firing off emails at each other like we're in two separate countries? You've got problems, questions? So do I. Let's meet and talk this out. Hell, let's just _meet_, Anna. You've been one of my closest friends for almost two years now. I want to see you. I'll even let you pick the place. You know I won't hurt you, Anna. Please come.

X

I don't know anything anymore, Remy. Except for the fact that I'd have to be out of my mind to agree to meet you alone.

X

What's the matter, _cherie_? Scared? I thought better of you.

X

It'll be a cold day in Hell before I'm scared of meeting with the likes of you. I can take care of myself. You want to risk getting caught by both of our perspective teams? Fine. I'll meet you as soon as I don't have to risk getting tracked down and throttled by Logan for breaking punishment. I'll email you with the day and time. Don't expect to hear from me before then and don't you _dare_ come looking for me. And if you're not there when I show up, or if you bring any _company--_forget about this--we're through.

X

Don't think that I would need backup if I was going to try something. I wouldn't. But I'm not going to try to hurt you, and I'll make sure that no one will ever know we met. You'll just have to trust me on this one, Anna. I give you my word that I will meet you wherever and whenever you choose within the next week, and that I will come alone. In fact, I will even go so far as to promise that I will not contact you until you contact me. But if you do _not_ contact me, all bets are off.

X

Whatever. I'll let you know.

X

I'll look forward to it, _cherie_.

X

Thursday of that week, 4:48:

Remy,

Surprise! My punishment was revoked as of this afternoon. If you still want to go through with this, I'll meet you tomorrow night outside Kablewie Arcade. We can either walk around town or find someplace inside to talk. It's loud inside, no one should overhear us and we might behave better if we stay in public places. Don't doubt that if you try something, I'll take you down. I'm not meeting you to fight you, Remy, but if one starts I won't lose. Besides, Kablewie is one of the few places that still allows known mutants inside. Thanks again for that, by the way.

X

Anna,

Outside Kablewie Arcade, 7:30. Good choice, _chere_. I'll be there, and don't worry. I'm not going to start anything. This is for us to finally get a chance to talk, face to face. I've been looking forward to it since we started writing. I wouldn't miss it.

Remy

XxXxXxX

Rogue could not be described as a calm person at the best of times. She was naturally very passionate and living with a dozen loose psyches in her head had only exacerbated the situation. This was definitely not the best of times. She didn't know whether to be angry or excited, fearful or cautious, horrified or glad. And everyone in her head had an opinion. She did her best to shut the psyches out as she walked to meet with Gambit.

_(Meeting _Remy _is dumb enough, you _know_ what he's like. Now that you know _who _he is it's insanity!)_

_(Leave her alone! Can't you see she just has to give him a chance? She totally owes it to their friendship--)_

Shoving the quarreling psyches firmly in the back of her mind, Rogue didn't admit, even to herself, that she was grateful for the distraction. This was the first time she had ever agreed with _all_ the voices in her head--even Magneto's which had escaped in the excitement and dryly suggested that she avoid all this drama by informing him that one of his Acolytes was having an "unsanctioned meeting with an adversary."

She had no idea what she was doing now, or what she would do when she got there--

_(If the player even shows up!)_

--but she had made one clear decision in all this madness; she would not back down from his challenge now.

"Remy" had been the one friend that she had told everything that she couldn't tell her the people in her world. Meeting that friend was scary enough. The fact that _Gambit_ was that friend was enough to make her want to change zip codes.

She knew that Remy was as manipulative as the day was long, and she had taken that risk when she revealed as much of herself to him as she had. But she had thought she was only taking that risk with a human boy…not a powerful enemy.

Rogue took cold comfort from the fact that while he might know the things that she never shared with anybody, he really had no idea who he was dealing with. He knew the sides of her that she never showed, true, but that wasn't all there was to her, and she was counting on that to protect her.

Sooner than she would have liked, Rogue turned onto the street that hosted Kablewie Arcade. It hadn't been hard to get away from the mansion alone; Scott was gone, off to rescue a stranded Alex, and he was the only one outside of Kurt and Kitty who ever questioned where she was going. Kurt was with Amanda, and she had told Kitty she was headed to the book store. Rogue was notorious for spending hours there, and Kitty had only nodded at her without even glancing up from her computer. Her cover was so simple, it was perfect; she had even stopped at the bookstore to pick up the paperback she had been eyeing for the past week to solidify her story. The plastic bag she carried it in crinkled nosily as she walked.

He was waiting for her, she saw him as soon as she turned down the street. He was wearing blue jeans, a black and red shirt, and a battered leather trench coat; the remnants of a cigarette dangled from his lip as he leaned with one foot propped against the wall on of the store across from Kablewie.

_That man really is entirely too good looking for his own good,_ Rogue thought wryly back to the many emails where they had discussed his "irresistibility to women," and found herself wishing he had just sent her a picture.

_Would have saved me a lot of embarrassment, that's for sure._

With a resigned mental shrug, Rogue continued walking towards him.

_Ah feel like Ah'm entering the Twilight Zone._

He didn't move from his position on the wall, but Rogue felt his eyes cut to her. Something in her told her that she'd always know when he was watching her. Rogue wasn't sure to feel comforted by that thought or not.

Remy watched her approach from his position against the wall, his eyes hooded and following her every movement. The fact that Anna was _Rogue_ had come as quite a surprise, but as soon as he absorbed it all the little things that he had noticed that _didn't quite fit_ about her switched perfectly into place. He had never fully trusted her response to his inquiries after she had been unable to respond for so long, and she and her friends got into _just _enough trouble to have already raised his suspicions. One or two isolated instances of weird was normal enough, but it seemed like every week she was telling him of a new crisis. But he didn't come out and out and _accuse _her, no Remy was too wise for that. He was solicitous, concerned, and careful to leave her just enough room to tell him more than she wanted.

Anna seemed to have a propensity to stick as close to the truth as possible. Usually a good policy when it came to a lie, but not when it came to hiding the sort of information she had been. It would have been better if she had just refrained from discussing them with him at all. She wasn't stupid, she must have known that, but she still told him as much about her life as she could.

_Guess she needed someone t' talk to 'bout it…_

True, he had been suspicious. But Remy hadn't really thought about it. Anna was his one little corner of normalcy in the world, the one person who had absolutely no expectations of him and was willing to just listen--and who actually trusted him enough to do the same. He had treasured that, and the only reason he wanted to find out what she was hiding was so that he could protect her if necessary. Yes, he had been certain she was hiding something.

He had never expected that she was hiding _this._

Remy had deliberately called her 'Anna' during the emails subsequent to their discovery because he _knew_ that if he started thinking of her as Rogue that it would come out in his letters and then she would never agree to meet with him. Why it was so important that she agreed, he wasn't exactly sure. He had already lost "Anna" forever.

Remy just knew that he didn't want to lose this friendship completely. Now that they both knew, it would have to change, but perhaps it could change for the better? He was willing to try.

But now that she was standing directly in front of him, with all of her lovely defiance and untouchable softness…

He was having a _very_ hard time remembering that she was also the girl he had written to for nearly two years. And thoughts of _friendship_ were quickly fleeing from his mind.

Remy lifted his gaze to meet hers and they stared at one another awkwardly.

He took the dangling cigarette out of his mouth and threw it to the ground, crushing it beneath his heal as he stood away from his position against the wall.

"Perhaps we best begin wit' introductions, _non_?" he said, gliding forward and capturing her hand. He bowed low over her gloved hand and kissed it, "Remy LeBeau at your service."

"Rogue," she said simply.

He glanced up at her from his still bent position, her hand still caught in his, "Just Rogue?"

Rogue gave him a shy half-smile, "Anna's just a screen name."

"Ah," he said, and dropped her hand.

As he released her, the lassitude forced on them by the surreal nature of their situation also dropped.

The atmosphere between them became charged, full of a hundred unuttered promises and accusations.

"Why didn't you tell me your name wasn't Anna?"

"Ya assumed. Ah didn't feel the need ta correct ya."

He nodded, acknowledging the point, but his eyes narrowed, "What is your real name, den?"

"Ah don't tell anyone my real name," her gaze hardened.

"Can't you make _juste un peu_ exception for me," Remy caught her in his gaze and began exerting the smallest measure of charm. "After all, it's only fair, _non_." (1)

"_Non. Et faire d'arrêt celui que vous essayiez avec vos yeux, ou bien moi suis allé_, Gambit." (2)

He smiled. Obviously her French studies hadn't been wasted. He stopped trying to charm her; getting the information out of her the old fashioned way would be much more fun anyway.

"Y' here to fight, _cherie_? Call me Remy; I ain't workin'."

"Ah'll call ya Remy," Rogue trailed off and then said pointedly, "when ya prove ta me that's who you're here as."

Remy made a _tsk tsk _noise at her and shook his head, "So distrustful, _chere."_

She gave him a feral grin, "And aren't ya proud of me?"

Remy's eyes narrowed. Then he gave her a charming grin, "Shall we step inside, Rogue? I t'ink dere's a few empty tables in de back. Maybe we'll get someting t' drink too, _neh_?"

Hearing her name from Remy's lips had a strange effect on Rogue, and she immediately turned away from him and began walking towards Kablewie's entrance. "They make excellent chocolate milkshakes here," she said.

"Is dat a fact," Remy murmured as he stepped into place beside her.

Rogue was spared the awkwardness of not having an answer when they stepped inside the barrier between Kablewie and the street. They were immediately assaulted by the loud sounds of the video games and the smell of fried food. Rogue waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the place, and noticed that Remy's glowing eyes stood out eerily. She suppressed a shudder when she met his gaze, but she wasn't entirely certain of its origin.

The main attraction of Kablewie were the video games right in front of them, of course, but just to the left of the cavernous gaming area was a decent sized Eatery which was the source of the fried food smell.

Remy leaned close to her and placed his mouth just above her ear so he could be heard, "Why don' you go find us a seat and I'll go get de milkshakes."

Rogue stepped away quickly, "Ah don't think so. Who knows what ya could slip in it while Ah wasn't lookin'?"

Remy frowned. "Don' you t'ink dat's takin' dis "distrust" t'ing a little too far?"

Rogue shrugged, "It's the first rule of clubbing 101--never leave your drink unattended. Ah think it's applicable in this case as well."

Remy rolled his eyes, "If I was gonna hurt ya, Rogue, I woulda done it already."

"Ah have no reason to believe that," she said.

"Fine, you go get the table, an' when I come back with I'll take a sip out of both. Satisfied?"

"Not sure Ah can trust that either--for all Ah know you've been spending the past few years building up a resistance to iocane powder!" Rogue said with a small smile.

Remy laughed, "All right already. We'll both go order, but I'm paying. No arguments, dat's de deal."

Rogue knew that he expected her to get indignant, so she just smiled at him, "Ah've never been one ta turn down free chocolate."

The Eatery was lit by a few dim ceiling lights and there were old fashioned neon lights tracing the edge of the bar in bright orange and green. The middle-aged proprietor took their order and they watched him prepare their milkshakes in silence.

Remy paid for them, and then made a show of sipping his chocolate milkshake before she could.

Rogue rolled her eyes; she felt completely justified in her actions, and she wanted him to know where he stood. She refused to trust him for a minute.

"Let's find a place ta sit down," Rogue said.

He nodded.

They ended up in a U shaped booth in a dim corner of the Eatery. Rogue selected it with relief, thinking that there would be plenty of space between them and an easy escape rout. Remy acquiesced with a smirk, thinking of the opportunities that the adjoining seats presented him.

They settled across from each other and another awkward moment passed before Remy leaned back in the booth and carelessly slung his arm over the top of the bench.

Rogue took a loud slurp of her milkshake and flicked her tongue up to catch the chocolate foam staining her upper lip.

She felt his gaze intensify, "What?"

He lifted his gaze back to her eyes, "Not'ing. Tell me, _chere_, d'ya always give your dates such a hard time?"

Rogue smirked at him, "Haven't in years. Tell me, Gambit, why _did_ you get into online poker? Seems ta me like you're more the kind who would want to deal in _cards._"

With his spare hand, Remy took his milkshake and lifted it to Rogue in a mock toast, "True enough. But de fact of de matter is dat I got so good nobody in N'Awlins would play with me anymore. An' a good game of poker is one of de great joys of m' life. So I went looking for a little challenge…found it in y', Rogue. What brought you t' de tables?"

Rogue shrugged, "My guardian in Mississippi didn't approve of gambling. Ah wanted ta play. So Ah found a way. Then Ah met ya, and kept going. What's that trick ya do with your eyes? Ah guess it doesn't matter if they're natural or not, 'cause ya did it ta me the first time we 'met' too."

He grinned at her, "Don't go tellin' everyone now, but I have a small 'charming' ability. I meant it when I told ya I was irresistible. I make de charm strong enough, and people _want _t' do t' do what I want dem t' do. I just wanted t' see de _jolie fille _up close. And once I had y' dere, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up."

Rogue snorted and leaned back, turning her face away from him towards the arcade. "Cheater."

Remy leaned across the table in a pose eerily reminiscent of the last time they had 'fought,' "Did ya like my card?"

Rogue frowned at his joke, "It nearly blew my hand off!"

"It was just a little explosion. I wouldn't have done anyt'ing to _really _hurt y'."

"Just a little explosion my ass! Ah threw the card away and it still managed to knock me off my feet!"

He sidled closer to her, stopping in the adjoining curve of the U, "I'm tellin' you dat was just a little boom. Maybe you need me t' show you what a big boom is?" Remy placed his forearms on the table and leaned forward towards her, smirking suggestively.

Rogue closed her eyes and brought a gloved hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, "Ah didn't think it was possible, but it's true."

She dropped her hand and glared at him. "Your innuendos are even more annoying in person than they are on paper."

Remy let loose a deep, gut warming chuckle at her agitation. "Can't help wanting t' get you all hot and bothered, _chere_."

"Ugh! Would ya _stop_ that?" Rogue swatted his shoulder with the book she had bought as part of her cover.

"But it's so much fun!" he grinned and pulled himself back up.

"Ya su--stink," Rogue quickly caught herself.

"I didn't realize y' were so polite, _cherie_," Remy raised an eyebrow.

"Ah just knew that if Ah said 'ya suck' ya would have offered ta give me a demonstration," she grumbled, looking away from him.

Remy looked at her askance for a moment before letting loose a self satisfied smirk. "I knew it. I knew hanging around me long enough would bring you around t' my way of t'inking."

"Yeah, well, Ah know an easy way ta fix that," Rogue said.

"Oh? An' what's dat?"

"Ah stop hangin' out with ya." Rogue locked her eyes onto his. "It's the smart thing ta do in any case. Ah've made a reasonable truce with the Brotherhood, but you're an _Acolyte_, Gambit. Ah've worked too hard ta get any form of trust with the X-Men ta have anything wreck that. And you know Ah believe in Xavier's dream. Ah'm not gonna stop fightin' for a world where mutants are seen as _people_, not as superior, not as freaks, but just people like anyone else. An' Ah _know_ the kind of world Magneto wants ta build. As long as you're working for him, we're gonna be fightin' too. It'd just be easier if we forgot about the whole thing."

Remy slid completely around the table and came to sit next to her. "I don' t'ink dat dere's anyt'ing we can do t' make dis easier, _chere._ D'ya honestly t'ink dat if ya just stop talkin' to me, you'll be able to forget dat ya spent de last two years writing t' me? I won't be able to. I _know_ you, you're not just an enemy to me. You're a friend. Us just droppin' it isn't gonna change dat."

Rogue blew her bangs out of her eyes in an exasperated huff, "Well it'd save it from getting any worse!"

"How much worse d'ya t'ink it's gonna get, _chere_?" The side of Remy's mouth tilted up in an inviting grin and he edged a little closer to her.

"That's not the point!" Rogue said sharply.

Remy chuckled and shook his head slightly, "Look, Rogue. I'm not gonna do anyt'ing to purposefully hurt you. Ever. Don't ya see how dat's an advantage for you? You want to just give up our friendship, just like dat? Sure, it may be less complicated, but t'ink about what you'll be losing."

Rogue searched his face, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How can Ah know Ah can trust ya?"

"Because I want somet'ing from y', _chere_." Remy's eyes glinted in proud amusement, recalling one of their emails.

"And what would that be?" She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. _He said that the only reason Ah could trust him was because he didn't want anything from me._

Remy grinned appreciatively at her new pose, dropping his gaze to her chest, "You're a beautiful woman, _cherie._"

Rogue gasped at the implication; she felt like someone had punched her in the gut. So she responded, slapping him soundly.

He saw the move coming and shifted his face just enough for her gloved fingertips to graze his cheek in a violent caress.

"Ah thought we covered this," Rogue glared at him, seething. "Jackass. Ah can't believe you'd say something like that _again,_" she was so angry her chest was constricting. She was finding it hard to breathe, let alone yell.

Remy held his hands out in front of him in mock surrender. "Easy, _chere._ Whose mind's in de gutter now?"

He was grinning. It infuriated her.

"Dat ain't what I wanted. It was just an observation."

Remy slid so close to her on the bench that his thigh brushed against hers and he lifted one partially gloved hand to smooth a strand of hair out of her face, sliding his hand down along the length of it to rest gently on her shoulder, turning her completely towards him. "All dat I want," he whispered, bending his face too close to hers, "is to continue t' want not'ing from you. And for y' to be dere to listen, for you t' be able to talk to me, just like always."

Rogue stared up at him. It was the perfect thing to say. Almost too perfect. She didn't know if she could believe him.

"We'll see," she said, refusing to back away. "Ah ain't makin' any promises."

"I'm not askin' for any," he breathed. He was still too close.

Had the man no sense? If either of them moved forward the slightest bit, they would touch…

Rogue was caught, caught in his gaze, in his closeness, in the way that his breath wafted over her face and the way he held himself near her without any trace of fear in his eyes.

Her heart rate began to slowly increase and she saw him note her response with a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.

_This is bad_, she thought. But to move away now would be to retreat, to admit that she was uncomfortable when he was close--to give him an advantage over her.

He wasn't moving away, if anything he had shifted slightly closer.

And she was stuck. Until she felt the cell phone in her pocket start to vibrate.

With what she hoped was well disguised relief, Rogue pulled away from him and took out her cell phone. It was a text message from Kitty.

Her eyes widened as she read it. Remy quite unashamedly tilted his head to get a view of the screen, but all he was able to make out as Rogue scrolled down was: _immediate deployment, report back YESTERDAY._

Rogue looked up at him, her eyes still wide and he didn't have to be half as observant as he was to see the concern written in them, "Ah have to go," she said.

"Dis isn't anyt'ing I should be concerned about, is it _chere?_ I didn't t'ink dat de boss had anyt'ing planned tonight," Remy frowned as he realized just how much he didn't want Rogue going up against any of his teammates. _Especially Sabertooth…_

"Don't worry, it's not Magneto. Scott's in trouble," Rogue said as she began to slide out of the booth. "We're going ta go rescue him."

Remy grabbed her wrist, "You're leavin' me t' go after _him?_"

Rogue glared at him, "He's a teammate who's being attacked by the psycho who blew up my _house_. What do ya _think _Ah'm gonna do?"

Remy shifted his grip from her wrist to clasp her hand. "Fine. But we're not finished here."

"Oh, we're not?" Rogue's eyes narrowed further.

He flashed her a grin so charming it should be made illegal, "'Course not, _chere_. We've still got dat little matter of de poker game t' discuss."

"Ah've told ya a thousand times, _Ah am not playin' strip poker with ya! _Pervert."

But he saw her lips twitch into a grin before she turned her face away.

"_Mais_, at least you'll let me see you again?"

"Ah'll think about it. Now Ah've got ta _go,_ Swamp Rat."

He pulled up her gloved hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers. "Go den."

"Humph. It would be easier ta do if ya would _let go of my frickin' hand_." Rogue rolled her eyes.

He smirked and let her slide her fingers out of his grip.

She was good, she didn't blush. Instead she met his gaze and said, "Later…_Remy_."

He grinned at her use of his name. "I'm counting on it, _cherie_," and he winked at her.

Rogue turned and left without a glance back.

_It's true what dey say, _Remy thought as he leaned back with a smirk, his eyes never leaving Rogue's retreating figure, _hate t' see her go, but _love _watching her leave._

When Rogue left his line of view, Remy placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, his smirk only broadening as he began to plan their next meeting.

_An' maybe…have a little 'meeting' wit' Scotty-boy as well._ At that thought, Remy nearly laughed out loud.

* * *

Translations: 1--Just one little. 2--No. And stop doing whatever you're trying with your eyes, or else I'm gone, Gambit. jolie fille--pretty girl 

AN: I truly do regret how long this took me to post. Since December 27th, the power cord to my laptop stopped working. Since all my notes were on my laptop and I really didn't want to mess up this chapter, there wasn't anything I could do about it. But I made this chapter nice and long for y'all to make up for it--I might have cut it off after their letters to each other otherwise. I hope you guys liked this installment--don't worry, not all of their conversations will go this smoothly. And I think you might be able to see where there will already be problems down the road. Pretty much nothing got resolved except for the fact that they decided to continue to communicate. "Iocane" powder was-of course-a reference to _The Princess Bride. _Just when you thought I couldn't quote any more of that movie... Oh, and just in case anyone wants to know, I _did_ have a favorite line this chapter. It's: "Why you unmitigated jackass!" I really like the way "unmitigated jackass" just rolls off the tongue... Yes, I'm strange, I know.

I am experimenting with a different way of doing review responses. I have decided to post them all on my writers livejournal. You can find the link on my profile page. I don't know if the reviews will all get up tonight, but I'm sure gonna try! Maybe I should start responding as soon as I get your review instead, I dunno... But anyway, your feedback for the last chapter was _tremendously_ encouraging. I'm so glad you guys liked it, I'd wanted to write it for ages. I've wanted to write this for ages too! So I hope you like it as much, if not more. Let me know what you think! (By the by, if you see my name change from "Shira's Song" to "Shira's Scribblings" in the near future...don't worry, it's still me!

Summary Blind Alley: Mystique escapes from Area 51 and tricks Scott into coming and "rescuing" her. Once she has him in her evil clutches, she removes his protective glasses and keeps dropping him off in rough places to get beat up and torment him while he can't even open his eyes. Jean figures out Scott's in trouble and gathers the X-Men to go rescue him, and she ends up kicking Mystique's butt. Jean and Scott finally get together. Yay.


	25. This Isn't War

**Disclaimer**: Owning the X-Men is kind of like dreaming of flying. Only flying is more possible--after all, there are such things as planes.

Written place before "Xtreme Measures"

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_This isn't war  
But these are still battles_  
"A Hoax to Live For," Dead Poetic

* * *

Dear Remy, 

I've been thinking since our meeting, and I still can't believe it. I mean, I _can_, because you're obviously you and you were most definitely there, but joining up with Magneto? Doesn't the fact that the man walks around in a cape and with a bucket on his head provide a clue to his mental instability?

I'll have you know that all those months ago my "vacation" to Hawaii was anything BUT that. He forced confrontations with the Brotherhood and kidnapped the winners. Since I was one of the 'lucky ones' he drugged me, plopped me in one of those giant pinballs, and planned on turning me into a frickin' zombie super-mutant slave! And over Christmas, when I was in New York--that 'angel' like business man I told you about? Well, he really was the New York Angel--Magneto tried to kill a little girl and convince Warren that it was all his fault. Not to mention exposing mutants to the general public, unleashing that Sentinel on us, and making it so that now it's dangerous even to walk the streets by myself. He's a madman; he endangered mutants who've been in hiding all around the world all so he could start his own private war. Somehow, I thought you had more sense than to get involved in something like that. I'm not saying that "normies" wouldn't have found out eventually, but there are better ways to expose that we're different than taking out a frickin' city block! It's like a nightmare come true.

And don't you dare tell me that I'm making any of this up, or exaggerating. I was _there_, Remy. I know what I saw.

I've been going over the letters you sent me (don't get cocky; gmail automatically saves them) and you said that contracting with him was the one way that you could stay in contact with your family, because your family was "very exclusive--selective--about what jobs we can take and when." I didn't bug you about this before, because I wasn't going to go fishing in your personal life, but there's got to be more here than what you're telling me. Something drove you to work for Magneto.

You say you want to be friends still? Fine. But you better have a damn good explanation for all this. And I want the truth, Remy.

Rogue

X

Dear Rogue,

_Dieu_, it's strange writing that.

I don't suppose congratulations would be in order on being considered one of the more superior mutants on earth? No? Believe me, Magneto is quite impressed with your skills, and he regrets the day you ever left the Brotherhood. Well, you can't fault the man for taste.

I'll agree that Magneto's methods are unorthodox, even barbaric at times. But the man has his reasons, and he is determined that mutants as a race will not suffer like he had to in the past.

Hell, I'll tell you flat out--I don't like more than half the stuff he's done, and I hate all of the things that he did to you. If he had tried to wipe my mind, he'd be a dead man by now.

But like I've said: there's a war coming either way. I know from experience that it's better to start a fight on your terms. I figure out of all the evils out there, and I've seen some, I choose being alive. And I think that fighting this war and _winning_ is the best way to do that. And that's what Magneto's trying to do, with as minimum mutant casualties as possible.

This explanation still not good enough? Ah, you know me too well. Yes, there's more and yes it has to do with my family. I told you the truth when I told you that my contract with Magneto was the one way I could stay in touch with them. But you don't know all the details. How could you? The information is sensitive, and I couldn't tell you it any more than you could tell me that you were a mutant who couldn't touch and _that's_ why it was dangerous to get close to you. Guess what _chere_--too late. _Mais_, now that we are this close, I'll make you a deal.

You agree to meet me without storming off in a flustered huff, and I'll agree to a fair trade--the full truth with nothing held back on both sides. Nothing that would compromise either of our teams, just some of that _personal_ information that we both tried so hard to avoid. I think it would clear things up a bit, neh?

After tonight I'm leaving town until Friday. How does this weekend look for you?

X

I think you know where you can tell Magneto to stuff his approval. And I know about Magneto's reasons--I've absorbed him, remember? I don't know if you know about how my power works, but if I'm satisfied with your explanation in that little _tête-à-tête _you're suggesting, I just might explain them to you. Let's just say, I've got an inside track on the man. I know what he's done, and why he's done it--and there's no way I can excuse it. He wants the rest of the world to bow to his will, he tried to take our _choice_ from us--if he's so right in goal, I would think he'd have more than you four working with him. And there are other ways that you can ensure safety besides killing off everyone else.

And I didn't "go storming off." I had to help rescue Scott. Going up against Mystique's no joke. But Jean had that whole 'pissed-off girlfriend' thing going for her and it was all over before I got there. Pity.

Weekends aren't really a good time to meet, because the X-kids are all around town… Evan's got a skateboard competition this weekend, I can slip away from the show while everyone's occupied there.

It's downtown, so anywhere in public there is fine with me.

Rogue

X

Aww, _chere_ that's not very nice. After all, the man's approval is hard to earn. But I suppose I can't blame you, like I said, sometimes the man's methods leave a lot to be desired.

We can argue philosophy as much as we want when we meet. There are some reasons I have that I'm not comfortable talking about online.

I'm not making light of you, _chere_. But some things…they're not as simple as they seem on first glance.

So the X-Men saved the day, eh? And Scotty-boy finally made it official? Oh, I'm sorry, it looks more like _Jean_ finally made it official. You might be having a hard time believing who I'm working for, but _I'm_ having a hard time believing that all this time you've been crushing on _Cyclops_. I think I'm gonna need to have a serious talk with you about taste when we meet next. I'll be in touch with you about the details.

X

Yeah, well I'm writing to _you_, aren't I? That should speak volumes of my good judgment. (rolls eyes)

Remember, I'm gonna have to slip away from my teammates so you'd better make it good.

X

Aww, _chere_, I'm touched. I knew you'd eventually come around.

And don't worry. I'll be discreet.

X

I know you're touched--in the head, you're touched. Stop coming on to me. Are we gonna play poker or not?

X

(Laughs) I'll meet you at the table, _chere._

Guess this will have to do till we can have that private game…

X

Remy, it's not happening. Just give it up.

X

I don't give up easy, _chere_. Now were you planning on playing, or just sitting here emailing all day?

X

Oh, I am _so_ going to wipe the floor with you.

X

We'll see, _chere_. We'll see.

XxXxXxX

"Rogue, hurry up!" Kitty called from the open end of the hallway.

"Ah'm comin'!" Rogue slammed her locker shut and turned around with her history textbook still in her hands. She slipped it into her messenger bag, which had been so thoroughly decorated with pins and band names that she wasn't sure she could remember what color it had been originally.

"Scott and Jean are going to leave without us!" Kitty shouted again.

"In a minute," Rogue yelled back. She always avoided the sardine can press of crowded halls, if she could help it. Scott and Jean would wait. _They're probably too involved in each other ta even notice that Ah'm late, _she thought as she made her way towards where Kitty was waiting impatiently.

Kitty frowned at her, "I've got, like, a ton of homework to do. I don't know if I'm ever going to breathe again."

Rogue shrugged, "So don't do it."

"Not all of us can not do our homework and still make good grades, Rogue," Kitty said as they started walking to the parking lot.

"Ya ever tried it?"

"Well…no."

Rogue offered Kitty a half smile as they exited the school, "Maybe ya should. An' ya know as well as Ah do that my grades aren't 'good.' Or has having your own room started ta make you forgetful?"

"No, but it lets me make as much of a mess as I want," Kitty laughed. "You should have seen Kurt the other day, he BAMFED in and then asked what I was doing in Bobby's room."

Rogue shook her head, "Ah think you're doing it just ta confuse him."

Kitty grinned and then became serious, "Well, maybe. But I miss having you in the room, too Rogue. It's totally not the same."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "Ya mean now ya don't have ta worry about your N'Stink posters gettin' shredded?"

"N'Sync," Kitty corrected automatically. "And no, that's not what I mean. You know what I mean, don't you?"

Rogue spotted Scott and Jean leaning against Scott's convertible and laughing at the end of the parking lot. She sighed as she and Kitty walked towards them and said, "Yeah, Ah know what ya mean, Kit. But it's not like we don't still see each other, and besides, it's--"

Rogue was cut off by the sound of a very strong motor approaching from behind them.

Rogue turned her head and then grabbed Kitty's arm and tugged her hard towards her, out of the way of a speeding motorcycle. It slowed down as it approached them and circled around them in a large curve, circling closer and closer until it raced barely a foot away from them. The rider pulled to a graceful stop in front of them and gunned the engine.

The part of Rogue's brain that wasn't sputtering obscenities at the idiot driver noticed that it was a beautiful bike, a black Mongoose, and that the leather and trench coat clad rider had handled it like a pro.

_Ya've got ta be _kidding _me._

The rider kicked down the motorcycle's stand, but left the machine running as he lifted his partially gloved hands to his tinted black helmet, removing it and shaking free his thick mane of auburn rat-hair.

"_Bonjour mes filles_," he said with a lazy grin and a wink of a brown--_brown!_--eye.

"This isn't good," Kitty whispered.

"No joke," Rogue whispered back. _Ya have no idea how not good this is. _

Her heart was beating much too hard; she felt it vibrating against her lungs as Rogue wondered if he was going to blow their cover.

His eyes were sparkling all too mischievously for Rogue's liking--_despite_ the fact that they were somehow brown again--and he was entirely too smug. Everything about his casual demeanor screamed a challenge to her: _Can you play my game_?

_Watch me, punk_. Rogue put a hand on her hip and jutted it towards him, "What are ya doing here _this_ time, lackey?"

His grin spread in a slow, predatory manner as he casually dismounted his from his bike. "Just passin' by, _cherie_. Nice day."

_Ah'll 'nice day' ya, _Rogue gritted her teeth. "Ya best _keep_ passin', Swamp Breath. Nobody wants ta see ya here."

"I don't think it's a good idea to antagonize him, Rogue," Kitty muttered urgently as Gambit took a few steps towards them.

"Aww, _cherie_, ya don't mean that. Have y' forgotten our last meeting so soon?"

Rogue vaguely noted the sound of running coming from behind her.

_Great, the new dynamic duo_. _Oh crap--telepath!_ She quickly flung up her mental walls and hoped that Remy was smart enough to do the same.

"Sorry, ya didn't make that much of an impression on me," Rogue smiled in a predatory fashion. "Maybe if ya leave an' don't come back again, Ah'll have more time ta ponder."

Gambit smirked at her and moved sinuously to circle her. Rogue followed his movements with her eyes carefully, willing herself not to move or show any response. Kitty tensed beside her, ready to grab her and phase if he tried anything.

After circling behind her he stood at her right side, just by her shoulder and leaned over her ear, "Maybe Gambit should see if he can make dis meetin' more memorable. How do y' t'ink he can--"

"Hey! Get away from her!" Scott yelled, hand on his glasses, prepared to fire a shot.

"He's always interrupting us, neh?" Remy whispered softly without moving his mouth before straightening up to stare at the X-Men's leader.

Rogue didn't dare respond as Scott and Jean had finally arrived.

Remy didn't move away from her.

Scott reached out to shove him back, but Remy evaded it easily, "Easy, _homme_. Gambit wasn't doin' any harm. He was just sayin' hello."

"What are you doing here?" Scott gritted, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Ah was just askin' him that," Rogue said, crossing her arms and turning to face them.

Kitty's eyes were wide, and she was watching everyone carefully, still ready to grab Rogue and phase if need be.

"You heard me," Scott said, still not looking away from Gambit.

"Scott, calm down," Jean said. "He hasn't done anything yet. Please don't make a scene."

"Well, dat's very kind of y', _belle_. Y' certainly live up t' your reputation--beautiful and compassionate," Remy turned to Jean with the full force of his smile.

Jean blushed.

_Oh please,_ Rogue fought against rolling her eyes. _Don't tell me she's buying this? Aren't telepaths supposed ta be perceptive?_

Scott growled and said, "I'll give you to the count of five to be on your bike and out of here." He lifted his hand to his glasses again.

Remy winked imperceptibly at Rogue again and smirked at Scott, "Y' sure y' want t' do dat, _homme_? In de middle of de school parkin' lot? T'ink dere be rules about dat, _non_?"

Rogue caught on to the new game and felt an illicit pleasure in going along with it. "He's right Scott. After all, look at him! Nobody knows he's a mutant--the newscast got us on tape fightin' the Sentinel, but Magneto's lackeys were long gone. If we do anything, it'll be seen as startin' an unprovoked attack upon a human."

"Why dat's a very pretty bit of logic comin' from a girl with an even more beautiful… face. Gambit must say, he is very… impressed."

"Listen here ya no-account lummox, just because Ah'm stopping Scott from blastin' your sorry ass doesn't mean that you're welcome, wanted, or worth mah time. Ya said your hello, Ah think it's high time ya said your goodbye."

Gambit pouted, "Y' don' really t'ink m' ass is sorry, do ya _chere_?"

"Why are you still here?" Scott interjected.

Gambit's eyes narrowed dangerously, "'s funny, _homme_. Gambit was just t'inkin' de same t'ing 'bout y'."

Scott's hand returned to his glasses. "Leave."

"Gambit will be seein' ya, Shades," he said, sliding back onto his bike. He picked up his helmet and held it loosely in one hand while he kicked up the bike's stand and then reved the engine again. He turned the full force of his smile onto Rogue and then trailed his gaze slowly down her body and then back up to her face. Gambit's smile slipped into a smirk, "He'll be seein' y' too, _cherie_. After all, it seems like we have a disagreement or two dat needs resolvin'. Not in de least determining de value of our various…assets, _non_?"

"The only _asset _ya have that Ah give a damn about is your bike. Drive safe, but feel free ta trip as soon as ya get off."

Gambit laughed, winked at her again, then slipped on his helmet and drove away, leaving a single card drifting back towards them.

They all jumped back before Kitty said, "It's not charged." She walked over to pick it up while Scott turned to Rogue.

"What was _that_ all about?" he said.

Rogue shrugged. "How the hell should Ah know? But maybe next time Ah tell ya Ah saw someone suspicious around had ta follow him, ya'll be a little more understandin'."

Scott frowned, "I don't like the way he was looking at you."

Rogue's glance flickered quickly to Jean before cutting back to Scott. "Ah don't see how the way he was lookin' at me is any of your business! After all, it's not like he can _touch_ me, Scott."

Scott winced and ran a hand through his hair. "I know…I know you can take care of yourself. Just be careful, all right? If you do see him again, call me. I don't want you facing him alone."

Jean stepped closer to Scott and placed her hand in the crook of Scott's arm. "Call any of us. You're not alone, Rogue."

_Oh, the irony_, Rogue thought with a twist of her lips. "Since when did this turn into a therapy session? Let's just go home."

Jean frowned, her gaze concerned, "But Rogue, we have to talk--"

"She's right," Scott said abruptly. "We should go. We should tell the professor about this. Come on," he gently placed his hand on the small of Jean's back and turned her towards his car.

Rogue smirked as she watched them walk away, and she shook her head slightly.

"Ace of Spades," Kitty said matter-of-factly. She held it out to Rogue.

Rogue looked at it, shrugged, and said, "Not much good without the other fifty-one cards. Maybe he threw it at us ta show that he's playing with a short deck?"

Kitty snorted, but sobered quickly. "You OK?"

Rogue turned toward her friend, noting that Kitty's eyes were narrowed in calculation. "Ah'm just swell, Kitty."

"You're not worried that he seemed, well, interested?" Kitty said cautiously.

Rogue laughed, "This from the girl who dated Avalanche. C'mon, Kitty, he was just messin' with us. If he was keepin' an eye on us for Magneto or somethin', it's not like he would have walked up and introduced himself ta us. An' like Ah said, it's not like he can touch me. It ain't nothin', Kit."

"And you're really not worried about this," she stated, still carefully evaluating Rogue's response.

"Worried? Nah. Happy about it? Not especially. But we're gonna have even more to worry about if Scott and Jean take off without us. And Ah thought ya had homework?"

Kitty's eyes widened, "Oh crap!" and she took off for the car.

Rogue laughed fondly, and shook her head again before her eyes narrowed. _That's his idea of discreet? Ah swear… And around Kitty, no less. She's not as dumb as she sounds._

She started to walk towards the car, but felt something poke her in her back pocket. She glanced around her and saw that no one was paying any attention, so she reached back and investigated.

It was a note.

* * *

AN: Oh that Gambit (shakes head). Always playing games. Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. I have the next chapter partially written, so maybe an update by Friday? I was hoping to post them together, but this chapter was being persnickety, and their next meeting, well, it's gonna be kinda long. No saved by the bell phone call for Rogue this time...probably. 

Review responses for chapter 24 are now UP on my livejournal. The link is on my profile page. I also host snippets, update updates and other things, so feel free to come by and check it out! I always appreciate your feedback, it's very encouraging to hear what you think. So let me know:0)


	26. But These Are Still Battles

**Disclaimer**: I do not own X-Men Evolution, Remy, Rogue, The Pirates of the Carribbean, the moon, the stars, the grass, the air..._  
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Written place during "XTreme Measures"

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* * *

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_This isn't war  
But these are still battles_  
"A Hoax to Live For," Dead Poetic

X

The secret of acting is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made.  
George Burns

* * *

_Chere_, hope you enjoyed making some trouble with me. Thought you might appreciate the chance to poke a little fun at the new lovebirds. So, tell me, did you feel it when I slipped this note in your pocket? Wonder why that was… 

About our next meeting, I know a nice little hole in the wall restaurant down town: The Dribble Inn. I think it's close to where your friend will be skating. Meet me there around twelve tomorrow, and we'll have our little question and answer session. Let's get this settled, _chere_. After all, why waste time when there are so many _fun_ thing we could be doing together? And if I recall, you still need to show me how _spoiled_ I can be.

Until then,

Remy

XxX

Slipping away from Evan's skating match wasn't very hard. All she needed to do was slip off the bleachers and walk casually towards the port-a-potties before changing directions--_casually_--and walking towards the street. Rogue felt a passing stab of guilt at leaving before seeing him perform, but there had been a perfect opportunity and she took it.

_Besides, it's not as if Ah don't get ta see him skate all the time_, she thought with a wry reflection on the many times that Ororo had reprimanded Evan for skating down the stairs in the mansion.

Rogue took her time strolling through the streets. She had barely given herself a chance to think about meeting Remy. Kitty had been watching her carefully after they got back, and she had to do her best to project her normal indifference--after all, she was the Rogue, she had lived with the Brotherhood, she fought hard and she fought dirty, and she was afraid of nothing and no one. Certainly being greeted by one of Magneto's Acolytes would only be a pebble dropping in her pond…right? The only response anyone could expect from her is anger--or what was for her, mild annoyance.

But then Kitty knew her better than most, she knew that the unflappable Rogue could be shaken. But neither of them were certain if this was a situation where Rogue would be shaken. All Rogue knew was that Kitty's attention was already automatically engaged; not only was the Valley Girl extremely protective of her friends, but there was a handsome guy involved. _Double trouble._

If there was one thing Rogue didn't want, it was having to explain her "friendship" to Remy LeBeau. _Or whatever it is. _How can you be friends with someone who stands against everything you believe in, who attacked you before and served the man responsible for hurting you? But Rogue couldn't deny that she had forged a bond with him. The question was did she even want to try?

_He might not deserve this chance,_ she thought as she approached their meeting place, _Ah don't owe him anything. But Ah'm gonna give it ta him anyway._

The Dribble Inn had once been a Victorian-style house just off of Main Street that some optimistic entrepreneur decided to convert into a classy restaurant. It hadn't worked. Rogue coughed as the latent cigarette smoke hit her eyes. _New York's banned smoking in restaurants for over two years now…Ah don't even want ta _know_ how many people smoked in here for it ta still smell like this._

Blinking to clear her eyes, Rogue lingered by the door for a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. The "restaurant" had several booths along the walls, with dirty yellow lanterns attached to the wall beside them. There were several mismatching tables along the floor, leading to a rather large and--from what she could tell--very well stocked bar. There was a hallway by the bar that led into some sort of back room. No where could she see Remy LeBeau.

She felt the gaze of the few patrons' fix on her as she walked through the restaurant. Before mutants had been exposed, Rogue would have chalked up their curiosity to astonishment that someone new would choose to enter this dive, but now she felt herself tense. Yes, she was willingly meeting with an 'enemy,' but in this world even the people she was trying to protect could be her enemies…

_Surely he wouldn't be dumb enough ta ask me ta meet him in a place where we'd end up fightin'. But then again, we'd end up fightin' together an' that could be used ta create a deeper bond and get me off my guard… _

She was safe in the back room before she had completed that thought, and Rogue felt a little of the tension ease out of her. There were three pool tables interspaced diagonally so that the players could have the most room, a few tables in the back with chairs set up around them in preparation for some sort of card game. It was lit from above with glass-covered light bulbs; Rogue couldn't tell if the glass was meant to be stained, or if it was just dirty. And most importantly, the room was occupied.

Remy was bent over a pool table. She was facing his profile as he concentrated on making his shot. The light of the room played a perfect complement to his angular features, and Rogue had to fight down what was becoming a disturbingly familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach upon seeing him.

After all she had seen of Remy LeBeau, she couldn't believe that he didn't notice her presence in the doorway watching him. Still, she waited until he had taken his shot and was about to reposition himself for another one before she called his name.

"Remy?"

He tried to suppress a pleasurable shudder at the way she said his name, her soft, husky voice caressing out the sounds and turning them into a song that made his knees weak.

But he couldn't think like that. He couldn't show her how much she made him _feel._ Not until he decided how to play this game. There were so many possibilities…

But he didn't _want_ to play her. She was _Anna_. She was Rogue. She was beautiful…

He straightened and moved towards her.

She saw him shudder when she spoke his name and wondered at it. Could it be from the same electricity that jolted her heart each time their eyes met?

No, she couldn't think like that. She had to wait, to test it out, to decide if she could trust him.

But she wanted to trust him. He was _Remy_. He was Gambit. He was everything she could never have…and he was too close.

"Back off, Swamp Rat," Rogue refused to step away, only glaring up at him, prepared to shove him away if need be. "Don't tell me that someone with your _experience_ has never heard of personal space."

He only smirked at her and grabbing her hand, brought it up to his lips for a kiss, "Pleasure t' see y' again, as always _cherie_."

Rogue rolled her eyes, "Don't start that '_cherie'_ stuff with me. And don't even _think _you're off the hook for comin' ta my school like that. _That _was your idea of discreet?"

Remy winked, "Don't tell me y' didn't have fun." He tugged on her hand which he still hadn't released and led her over to an adjoining booth. "'Sides. Dat _was_ discreet."

Rogue tugged her hand free from his grasp and slid into the seat, "Then Ah hate ta think of your idea of obvious."

He laughed at her and made to sit beside her, but she glared at him so he grinned at her and slid into the seat across from her. "I'm guessin' dat Scotty-boy went back an' told de professor all 'bout our little meetin', _non_?"

She glared at him, "Yes. An' Ah had ta sit through two hours of speculation, thanks ta ya. An' if ya so much as wink near me an' Kitty again, Logan has vowed ta do some very interesting things ta your entrails. Ah'm not sure some of the things he mentioned are even _possible_."

Remy was unperturbed. "Doncha wanna know why I wanted de lil' teacher's pet t' be runnin' back home an' tellin'?"

Rogue really, _really _wanted to take exception to the way he was talking about Scott. But she had a feeling that if she started that conversation, she'd never get a decent explanation out of him.

_Besides, it's not like Ah haven't called Scott anything worse…_

"Fine." Rogue clasped her gloved hands under her chin and batted her eyes at him outrageously. "Swamp Rat, Oh Swamp Rat, won't ya tell me what the hell was goin' on in your little mind when ya decided ta show up ta my school? The PG version, please."

He chuckled and then asked, "PG?"

Rogue dropped her hands and glared at him. "You're right. With your mind, Ah'd be safer askin' for G."

Remy smirked at her, "How can I refuse such a gracious request? _Chere_, y' put on a fabulous act when I came around, really y' did, an' Lord knows dat I did too. _Mais_, dere's one t'ing dat no amount of actin' will fool."

Rogue unwillingly found herself caught up in his good humor, wanting to be on the in side of his joke, "Oh?"

He leaned forward, still grinning, and tapped her twice on the nose with a gloved finger before she pulled away, practically hissing at him.

He ignored her reaction and continued, "Your friend de Wolverine has super-senses, _non_? Just like de over grown pussy-cat workin' for Magneto. Showin' up at de school an' buggin' ya gives us an excuse t' smell like each ot'er every once an' a while. He asks, ya just tell him ya ran into me again."

She crossed her arms, still too irritated over him touching her to admit that he had a good point. _Besides, it's not like his ego needs any feedin'_. "An' what are ya gonna do when Logan drops by an' asks ya ta leave me alone? Ah've gotta warn ya, he ain't exactly polite."

He raised his eyebrows in recognition of the name. "Logan? De _homme_ y' been tranin' with all dis time?"

Rogue nodded.

"_Merde,_" Remy said, his gaze flickering over her briefly, reassessing her. Then he grinned again, "Don' y' worry 'bout ole Remy, _chere_. He can take care of himself."

Rogue narrowed her eyes, "There ya go with the third person again. What's _with_ that?"

"It's part of his mask, _belle_." He winked at her before dropping the pretense and looking her straight in the eyes, "Y' know about dat. I never hid it from y'. I wear masks, I play games, I do what it takes t' get what I want."

Rogue swallowed, and then looked away, "An' what part of the game is the blatant honesty bid? What are ya hoping ta win?"

Gambit chuckled warmly and leaned back, relaxed once again. "Wish I knew, _cherie. _Wish I knew."

She brought her eyes back to his face in a long, assessing look. He returned it with equal frankness. The air between them became charged, electric as each of them refused to give any more than they had and refused to take back anything they had given.

Rogue couldn't look away, so she made up her mind to say something, what, she wasn't sure, but the moment was shattered when the waiter came to the table. He was a rotund man with greasy blonde hair slicked back and he was wearing what was once a white apron.

"What can I getcha two?" he said, pulling out an order pad out of the pocket in his apron.

Rogue relaxed her arms and lifted an eyebrow at Remy, silently asking if there was anything good to eat in the place.

He grinned at her, winked, and then turned to the waiter, "I'll take a large burger, medium rare, with some chili fries an' a Guinness."

_Ah, so anything fried is good. Jus' like back home_. "Ah'll take the mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, an' cherry coke."

Short, balding, and greasy nodded and turned to go back to the bar.

Remy grinned at her, "Nice t' see a _femme_ who's not afraid t' eat on a date."

"You're on a date?" Rogue asked, raising her eyebrows and craning her neck to look around them. "When's she gettin' here? Ah'd hate ta be the third wheel."

"Oh, I don' t'ink ya hafta be worried about _dat_, _chere_," Remy winked.

"Who said Ah was 'worried?' Ah'd kinda like ta meet the gal foolish enough to fall for ya 'charms.'"

"You're here, ain't ya?"

Rogue crossed her arms over her chest again, "If Ah recall correctly--and Ah'm sure Ah do--Ah'm here ta discuss your 'reasons' for working for Buckethead."

Remy cocked an eyebrow, "Buckethead?"

Rogue smirked, "Ah figured Ah'd do ya the courtesy of not announcing the name of the terrorist you're working for in public. _Mais_," she emphasized, "if you're really that nonchalant about it…"

"Remy appreciates de concern for him, _cherie_."

"Third person again, Gambit?" Rogue asked with raised eyebrows.

Remy sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "'m t'inking I'm gonna regret tellin' ya dat."

Rogue shrugged, "Ah probably woulda figured it out anyway."

Remy only gave her a little smirk and tilted his head slightly to the side. The moment of silence between them stretched on just enough to become uncomfortable, and Rogue felt distinctly disquieted at being the fixed center of his attention.

"So…" Rogue flickered her eyes around the restaurant briefly before meeting Remy's gaze again. "Ah'm waiting."

"So'm I, _chere_. Been waitin' ever since y' mentioned it, but now dat I've seen y', I'm lookin' forward t' it even more."

Rogue narrowed her eyes, "Why do Ah get the feelin' we're not talkin' about the same things?"

Remy smiled innocently, "I'm talkin' 'bout dat strip poker game. Wednesday night good for you?"

"Ya stupid swamp rat!" Rogue slammed her fists on the table, propelling herself to a half-standing position where she leaned over the table above him, "What's it gonna take t' get it through your thick head? Ah. Am. Not. Playing strip poker with ya. Clear?"

Said swamp rat actually had the nerve to throw his head back and laugh. When he had recovered, he met her furious gaze with his disconcertingly knowing one and said, "Mebbe so, mebbe no. _Mais_, it broke de tension, _non_? Have a seat, _cherie_, 'm gonna tell ya a story."

"It'd better be a _true_ story," Rogue muttered as she slumped back down into her seat. "Ah'm startin' ta wonder why Ah'm even here."

Remy grinned at her, "It's for de charmin' décor an' fabulous cuisine, of course. Not t' mention de fabulous company dat is also de best part of de view," he finished with a wink.

Rogue drummed her gloved fingers on the table between them and glared. The impatient strumming was somewhat muffled because of the fabric, but she managed to get her point across.

Remy sighed and let his cheerful façade drop, "Fine. Y' want t' skip straight t' de serious stuff, dat's fine. Guess dis means dat we get t' play poker for desert?"

"Remy."

Rogue's voice was hard and flat, but something in him still surged forward in response to the way that she said his name. He shook off the desire to _do_ something about that feeling and made himself be serious. "'fore I tell y' dis, you've got t' give me your solemn promise dat dis stays between us. Neither of us wants t' face de consequences if dis gets out, an' I ain't talkin' 'bout anyt'ing mutant related either."

Rogue raised her eyebrows, "Is this gonna get me in trouble?"

Remy shrugged, "No more than fightin' de world's mos' dangerous mutant terrorist. None at all if y' don't tell nobody."

Rogue smirked, "Point. Ah promise. Go on."

Remy ran a hand through his hair. "De shortened version is dat I grew up on de streets of N'Awlins. M' eyes…an' ot'er t'ings…dey made it a bit harder t' blend in than it might have been. I got picked up by one of de main powers of de city…got adopted into de family, y' might say."

Rogue's eyes narrowed, "What, like the Mafia or something?"

He flashed her a quick grin, "We're a bit more specialized. An' less flashy. De only way you'll have heard of us is if you already knew."

Rogue raised her eyebrows, "How very Pirates of the Caribbean of ya."

He smirked at her, "What, you t'ink you're de only one who remembers lines from movies?"

"So what is your 'specialty,' then Mr. Sparrow?"

His smirk deepened. "Tell me, _did_ y' feel it when I stuck dat note in your pocket, _chere_?"

Rogue shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "No. Ah didn't."

His facial expression didn't flicker, but he somehow managed to project even more smug self-satisfaction. "An' why d'ya t'ink dat was?"

_Because ya were standin' too damn close ta me._ "Why Ah have a feelin' you're goin' ta tell me regardless?"

Remy set his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his hand, "Well t'ink about it, _chere_. What kinda profession could require dat kinda skilled hands?"

_Gigolo? _Rogue wisely suppressed that thought, realizing that was just giving him _way _too much of an opportunity. "You're a thief."

Remy grinned charmingly, "_Oui._"

"Your whole family is thieves?"

"_Oui_."

"Well that certainly helps explain the bunny rabbit thing," Rogue muttered.

Remy laughed. "Dat does add a certain spin to it, _oui_. But mostly, dey're just crazy. _Mais_ sometime I'll have t' introduce y' to Fluffy."

"Oh joy," Rogue said.

Their waiter approached the table with their beverages on a tray. He dropped them on the table with a clank and slid them in front of their respective owners.

"Your food should be right out."

"T'anks, _homme_," Remy said.

The waiter nodded his balding head and walked away.

Rogue watched as Remy took a sip of his beer. She waited until he was finished and then said, "But that still doesn't explain anything."

"_Non_? It explains how I got dat note in your pocket."

He was being deliberately exasperating. "Ah _meant_ that still doesn't explain what you're doing with Magneto."

"Oh. Dat. Well, what you've gotta understand, _chere_, is dat even t'ough m' family is very close, we're still a business. An' _ma pere_, he was about t' make a business decision concerning m' life dat... I just couldn't agree to. It wouldn't have been a good t'ing. _Mais_, if I out and out said dat, I'd be exiled quicker dan a blink. So I had t' t'ink of somet'ing... _profitable _fo' m' family dat only I could do. Give m' _tante _time t' try an get _ma pere _t' see reason. Magneto's got me on contract, Rogue. He pays me t' be his t'ief, supposedly, even t'ough I haven't had hardly any work t' do..." he muttered under his breath.

"So if he pays ya ta be his thief...what were ya doin' handin' me that charged King o' Hearts?"

Remy grinned at her, "Dat was flirtin', _cherie_. Don' tell me y' don't recognize it when y' see it?"

"Ah recognize flirtin' OK. The card's not supposed ta blow up in your face."

"Seems like your face survived just fine," he leered with a wink.

"Not. The. Point," Rogue hissed. "If you're only supposed ta be doing ta be doin' the breakin' an' enterin', what are ya doin' being his fightin' for him an' running his errands?"

"_Chere_!" Remy sat up straight and began to sulk, "Y' can't say dat I'm doin' breakin' an' entering. Trust me, if I go into a place it's not'ing so crude as dat."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Once again, ya excel at missin' the point."

He blew out an exasperated breath, "Y' never let me get away wit' anyt'ing."

Rogue grinned tightly, her eyes narrowed, "An' that's why ya like me. Now are ya gonna explain what you're doing bein' one of his bully-boys or not?"

He stared at her straight in the eyes and said, "Magneto is not a man y' say no t' unless you've got a very good reason. And I need dis contract, _chere_. I'm doin' what it takes t' keep it."

"Ah'm still not sure Ah see why ya need this contract so very badly. Can't ya just work it out with your family?"

Remy sighed, "Y' don't know _ma pere_. Y' don't know what he's tryin' t' do. Did'ya t'ink I _liked_ contracting m'self out of m' family? I tried everyt'ing else, dis is de only t'ing dat would work."

Rogue leaned forward, "If ya want me ta understand, then _tell me_."

"I've told y' more dan I should already. Any more an' neither one of us will like de consequences. Guess you're just gonna hafta trust me."

At that moment the waiter came back with their food. "Chicken Fingers?"

"Over here," Rogue said.

The waiter slid her food in front of her and then gave Remy his burger.

Rogue automatically scooted to the side of the booth so that she could be at the farthest angle away from Remy as she began to remove her gloves. She felt his gaze hot upon her hands, and it made her feel as if she was taking off something far more revealing. Rogue glanced up at him as she finished, and his face was intent, concentrated, and revealing nothing more than his absolute focus on her.

"If Ah don't take 'em off, Ah hafta clean them," she felt prompted to explain, as if she had just cocked a gun and pointed it in his direction instead of simply preparing to eat. "Don't worry, Ah'll be careful. Ah've gotten real good at eatin' at a crowded table. This is nothin'."

Remy's gaze met hers, and he smiled a slow, lazy grin that made her breath catch. "I ain't worried, Rogue." He reached into his trench coat and pulled out a small plastic bottle containing bright red liquid.

He lifted up his bun and poured a liberal amount on his hamburger. "M' own special recipe. Wanna give your barbeque sauce a shot with it?"

"It's hot?"

"Would it be anyt'ing else?"

Rogue snorted and said, "Slide it on over."

His gaze turned sharp and evaluating for a moment before he silently complied.

He watched her squirt a decent amount of it into her BBQ sauce and waited until she slid it back to him before commenting, "Y' seem t' be takin' dis whole t'ief t'ing very well." He took a bite of his burger.

Rogue shrugged and stirred her sauce with a chicken finger, "It's not that bad. Ah've got the memories of Wolverine, Mystique, Juggernaught, an' Magneto floatin' around in mah head. It's kinda hard ta shock me with an ugly side of life."

Remy raised his eyebrows, "An' it doesn't offend your super-hero sensibilities?"

Rogue snorted, "An' what would it matter if it did? After all, Ah came ta meet with ya while you're working for my enemy didn't Ah?"

Remy inclined his head, "Good point. So, 'bout what y' said earlier… y' just get dere memories? Like a telepath?"

"Not exactly." She took a bite of her chicken with the doctored sauce. Her eyes widened and she could feel her face flush. Rogue refused to give him the satisfaction of coughing, but she couldn't stop her eyes from watering.

"Damn," she said when she could speak again.

Remy smirked.

She grinned at him, "Can Ah have some more?"

He blinked, and for once Rogue had the great satisfaction of seeing the King of Hearts look absolutely poleaxed. He recovered quickly, of course, and spoke in a dazed voice, "I t'ink I'm in love."

"Ah "t'ink" you're ridiculous. Pass the hot sauce?"

Remy's befuddled look slid into a pout, "S'not nice makin' fun of a man's heart like dat. Don't know if I should give y' anymore."

Rogue grinned at him, "Ya know ya want ta."

"Ya know, I t'ink y' might be right 'bout dat," his voice was warm and deep and Rogue found herself grateful that he hadn't used it to make a cheaper innuendo.

"Ya gonna give it ta me or not?"

Remy smirked and shook his head, "Y' make it too easy sometimes, _chere_, y' really do."

He slid the sauce back over to her.

She took it and grinned at him, "But Ah have the sauce."

He watched intently as she gave the bottle two hard shakes over her sauce and then stuck her finger in it, lifting it up to her mouth to sample it.

Rogue blinked, smiled, and slid the sauce back over. "That stuff could become addictive."

"Y've _no idea_," his voice was a little hoarse, and it was an obvious effort for him to look down at his burger again.

Rogue smiled contentedly and continued eating.

"So," Remy said after a moment. "Y' said dat your powers don't work exactly like a telepath's. How _do_ dey work, den?"

Rogue suddenly found the remnants of her food very interesting. "Ah don't know 'xactly. The professor's said he's never seen anything like it. But as near as Ah can tell, whenever Ah have skin ta skin contact with someone… Ah _become_ them. Say Ah touched Fred for three seconds. He'd feel a bit faint, and Ah'd have three second crash course ta his most lifeformin' memories or whatever he's thinkin' of most urgently. It depends. The memories, they come in flashes, an' while Ah'm going through them, they're not just _his_ memories, they're mine. The longer Ah hold on, the more Ah know. An' then when I let go, Ah've got his power for three minutes. That much about it Ah've figured out. An' after that's done, the… memories don't just go away like his power does. They stay inside mah head…they're Fred inside mah head, just like Ah was Fred inside his head."

"What do y' mean, _chere_?" Remy's voice was soft, coaxing, and Rogue glued her eyes more firmly to the tabletop.

"Ah mean that if Ah wore a shirt that said, 'You're just jealous because the voices talk ta me,' Ah'd be telling the truth. Ah take a bit of someone and they stay with me. Forever, as far as Ah can tell. They're me, and they're them, and they have their own opinions…the opinions they would have as they were when Ah touched them. Does that make any sense?"

"Not so much."

Rogue exhaled a frustrated breath and then lifted her head to glare at him. "Ah call them psyches. From the Greek meaning 'souls.'" Her voice was flat and angry as she stared at his impassive face. "Ah touch someone an' Ah drain the life out of 'em and a bit of that stays with me. But their life is not mah life, so it stays _in_ me but is _not_ me. Ah don't feed off it, like a vampire, Ah just carry them around in me. For example, if Ah chose ta pay attention, the Scott in mah head is tellin' me overturn this table on ya and run, the Kitty inside mah head is fascinated with the way your hair falls in front of your eyes, the Magneto in meh is dryly commenting that this entire meeting is most inappropriate, and the Logan in meh wants ta slice off your balls and feed them ta ya for lookin' at meh the way ya do. Clear enough?"

"An' dis happens all de time? Dey're always talkin'?"

"It's worse in the morning an' at night. Ah can usually block them out during the day."

Remy's brow puckered, "An' your fightin' dere opinions all de time? Ain't ya afraid of being lost in your own mind?"

Rogue closed her eyes and clenched her fists so tightly that she felt blood in her palms and Remy saw her knuckles turn white.

"Stupid question?"

"Very," Rogue said slowly.

"De professor helpin' ya with dis?"

Rogue exhaled and opened her eyes, but her fists were still clenched on the tabletop. "He's doin' what he can. But like Ah said, he's never seen a mutation like mine before, so he doesn't know exactly how to help, or even what's 'normal,' for me."

"So dat's what ya meant when ya said ya knew Magneto's reasons. Y've lived dem too."

Just the mention of some of Erik Lensherr's memories caused them to resurface and Rogue had to close her eyes again to force down the feeling of being so hungry, so helpless, and so alone. "Erik…has a very forceful personality. His memories are some of the worst."

Remy raised his eyebrows, "Erik?"

Rogue snorted, "When ya know as much about the man as Ah do, it's hard not at think of him on first name terms--if you're not on cussing terms instead, that is."

Remy inclined his head, his eyes calculating. "Point. An' y' have no control over dis at all?"

Rogue smiled tightly and nodded her head towards her gloves. "Those. An' once Ah take a person's power, Ah don't have trouble with it like they might. It's added into mah system fully functional."

"I see. An' it's every time y' touch skin on skin. Y' can't do not'ing t' control it."

The corner of Rogue's mouth tilted upwards in wry grin and she relaxed a little, "If Ah could, you'd be the last person Ah'd tell."

Remy laughed. "We'll see about _dat_, _cherie._ We'll just have t' see about dat."

The waiter stopped by their table.

Rogue quickly put her hands on her lap.

"Are you two about done? Or can I getcha anything else?"

"Sure, _homme_. I'll take a coffee, black, an' a slice of your caramel apple pie. _Chere_?"

"Another black coffee an'…a slice of cheesecake."

"We're outa cheesecake."

Rogue shrugged, "Just the coffee, then."

"Y' sure?" Remy said.

Rogue nodded and the waiter left.

As soon as the waiter left the table, she started putting on her gloves. Remy watched this closely, a faint frown on his face.

"So, I told y' about Magneto, now I get t' ask my question."

Rogue glanced up at him, "Ah told ya about mah powers."

Remy shrugged, "Y' said you'd do dat if ya were satisfied with m' explanation about Magneto. It was part of de trade. Now it's my turn for a free question."

Rogue narrowed her eyes, "Ah'm not tellin' ya anything that Ah think will hurt the X-Men."

Remy grinned at her, "I wouldn't even t'ink about askin' 'bout _dem, cherie_. 'm much more interested in y'."

"Joy," Rogue mumbled. She sighed and then tilted her head back, pursing her lips slightly. "Ask your question."

Remy hunched his shoulders slightly and leaned forward a little, speaking in a low tone of voice, "What happened to y' when you were at Trask's base?"

* * *

AN: (Ducks any objects thrown in retribution for the cliff-hanger) Hey, if you kill the author, you won't get any more story! I apologise for the cliffy, but it was either update with the cliffhanger or make you wait for another week or so while I work on the rest of the chapter. This is better, right? Right? Circumstances have conspired against me in my fanfiction writing, not the least of which is the fact that I am now fully employed and working over 40 hours a week. For updates, snippets, review responses, and other things, check out my writing journal--link's on the profile. (Review responses are now UP!) 

Well, thoughts, comments, questions? I hope you liked it. Let me know:)


	27. And Battles Make It All Die Out

**Disclaimer**: Much as I would like to own X-Men Evolution, it took the creative powers of several geniuses to create, and I am just... me.

Written place during: "XTreme Measures."

This goes out to everyone who hasn't forgotten this story, with due and excessive thanks to Eileen Blazer, who beta'd.

* * *

_This isn't war  
but these are still battles  
And battles make it all die out.  
_"A Hoax to Live For," Dead Poetic

"Trust is like a vase.. once it's broken, though you can fix it the vase will never be same again."  
-The Berenstain Bears and The Truth

* * *

_"Joy," Rogue mumbled. She sighed and then tilted her head back, pursing her lips slightly. "Ask your question."_

Remy hunched his shoulders slightly and leaned forward a little, speaking in a low tone of voice, "What happened to y' when you were at Trask's base?"

Rogue felt something cold and not at all pleasant coil around her stomach and squeeze. _Please tell me he didn't just say what Ah thought he said._

But he was still staring at her with that same uncannily intense expression, as if what he asked had been perfectly reasonable—as if he expected a response.

_He's got ta be out of his damn mind,_ Rogue thought._ An' mama always said it wasn't polite ta kill the crazy people. _So she smiled at him politely with a hard glimmer in her eyes that any sane man would have heeded and enunciated clearly, "Ah don't want ta tell ya. Next question?"

Remy frowned and leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table, "No, y' don't. An' you don't have t' want t' tell me, dat ain't de way dat de deal went--you tell me what I want to know, not what y' want me t' know."

"Why do ya want ta know?" Rogue gritted and rose up slightly in her seat, leaning forward and meeting his gaze. "What's your game?"

Remy gave her a long assessing glance before he leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms, observing her from hooded eyes, "'s too bad, _chere_. I never took you for a welcher."

_Ah oughta string ya up by your toes for Logan's new punchin' bag, _Rogue sat down in a huff that made seat squeak. "An' _Ah_ don't see how it's any of your damn business."

Remy casually raised one eyebrow, "Funny. Here I woulda t'ought it was a lot of my business."

There was an awkward beat of silence between them as the memories of that day resurfaced. They had fought without knowing each other; she had been prepared to drain him and he had all but blown her up with some charm and a charged card. Magneto's Acolytes had clearly come out of that encounter the winners, though not without some losses on both sides.

Rogue clenched her teeth and took a deep breath before locking her gaze with his burning eyes. She forced herself to speak very calmly, "It wasn't your fault, Remy. Ya weren't anywhere near me when that Sentinel got me. Ya had nothing ta do with what happened, any more than Kitty did when she didn't phase me out of that goo."_  
_

"Why don' y' let me decide dat, _hein_?" Remy's tone was as inscrutable as his face, which could have been imprinted on a coin for all the emotion it showed.

_Oh, if he thinks for one second he's going ta guilt me into telling him… _

Rogue raised her voice in apparent indignation. "Listen here, if ya don't convince me _right now_ that you're not gonna blame yourself for this, Ah ain't gonna tell ya! An' Ah don't care what ya say."

"Fine, I won't blame myself and you'll tell me what happened t'' you."

_Gotcha. _Rogue gave him a feral grin, "Fine. I was captured by group of anti-scientists and studied like a particularly interesting specimen of bug. The end."_  
_

Remy blinked, and then cocked his head to the side and drawled, "Now, _chere_, don't y'' t'ink dere was a bit more to de story dan dat?"_  
_

Rogue snorted and crossed her arms, "You're not gonna trick me into tellin' ya anything ya want so easy. Ah'm not _that_ green."_  
_

He was visibly stunned for a moment, and then a rueful grin broke out over his face, "_Non_, I suppose y' ain't. After all, I did tell y' 'bout some of m' tricks, didn't I."_  
_

"Ah don't like being manipulated, Remy."

He shrugged a little and spread out his hands to the side slightly, "What can I say, _chere._ It's what I do. Y' been warned, an' dats more dan most get. Seems t' me like you're handling yourself fine."_  
_

Rogue blinked, examining his words before speaking slowly, "…Ah guess so."_  
_

"But Rogue," Remy leaned across the table and grasped one of her gloved hands in his. It was such a natural movement that Rogue scarcely realized her had done it until her hand was secured in his. "Y' need t' tell me about dis, _chere._ I need t' know, for me. And y'…you need t' talk about it."_  
_

Rogue tugged on her hand but found that he only dug his fingers lightly into her pressure points in response. "Xavier set up stress counseling. Ah don't need ta talk about it anymore."_  
_

"Stress counseling?" Remy snorted. "Where y' just sat across from de shrink an' glared at 'im, or told ''im so much _merde_ he didn't know which way was up and which way was down. Ah know y' too, _chere_, an' Ah _know _dat y' haven't talked t' anyone 'bout dis."_  
_

"Your concern is touching. Really. Now let go of mah hand before Ah do some touching back."_  
_

He flashed her a grin, "Any time, _ma belle_." _  
_

But he didn't let go over hand. _  
_

"_Remy,_" she gritted._  
_

He shook his head and made a clucking noise with his tongue.

Her concentration divided between attempting to free her hand from his grip and keep up with the conversation, Rogue sputtered, "What's the point? It's over now, no use revistin' it. What's done is done."

Remy snorted, "Is dat de sorta trash dey taught y' in 'stress counseling?' C'mon, Rogue. Y' can do better dan dat. If it's no big deal, den why don' y' just tell me?"

"Because it's none of your damn business!"

Remy's grip tightened on her hand. "I could charm y', right now. It would be easy, you're already looking into m' eyes."

Rogue quickly jerked her head away, staring out into the nearly deserted diner.

Remy reached out with his unoccupied hand and cupped her chin with his gloved fingers. His grip felt like a vice and he turned her face towards him.

Rogue tensed, but he spoke before she had a chance to act. "But I'm not going to do that, _chere_. Instead I'm asking you t' trust me. Maybe I don't deserve it, but I'm askin' all the same. Y' know dat I nearly went out of m' mind worryin' 'bout you while y' were in dere. Nothin' 'bout dat's changed. I need t' know what happened to you. Tell me. Please."

She stared at him for a long minute before saying, "Let go of me."

Not dropping his gaze from her eyes, Remy complied, slowly removing the hand that been holding her chin and drawing it back over to his side of the table.

Rogue pointedly dropped her gaze to where he was still holding her hand in his. She lifted her gaze to his again and then quirked an eyebrow expectantly.

He loosened his grip on her hand slightly.

"Ah trust ya, and you're gonna have ta trust me. Ah ain't into Solitaire," she said.

"Dis ain't a matter of trust," he responded. "I just don't want ya runnin' away on me. Y' haven't said if you'd answer my question yet."

Rogue lifted her chin, "If Ah run or not, that should be my choice, don't ya think, _Remy_?"

Remy met her gaze impassively before sliding his hand off of hers slowly, like the caress of silk as it slipped off and fell to the floor.

There was a small pause as each of them measured the other one more time.

"Ya say you need ta know what happened ta me, but ya won't tell me why," Rogue started. "If Ah tell ya this, then Ah want ya ta promise the same. Let me have a 'get out of jail free' card for askin' ya the question of my choice, and it's a deal."

Remy grinned at her, "All my cards are get out of jail free cards, _chere_."

"Ha, ha." Rogue looked at him expectantly.

Remy averted his gaze and ran both hands through his tussled hair. "Fine. For you, fine. One free question."

Rogue nodded, more satisfied with Remy's dropping of her gaze than she would have been with any dozen of smooth reassurances. "OK, then."

She threaded her hands loosely on the edge of the table nearest her and looked down at her gloved fingers for a moment. When she looked up, her face was expressionless.

"Four of us were captured that day, it was me, Hank—Dr. McCoy—Beast, Fred—Blob, and Evan—Spyke. Once we got there we found that Logan—Wolverine, had been caught as well. The scientists didn't take any chances. We were separated immediately, taken into separate chambers where the stasis goo was dissolved and we were instantly gased. When Ah woke up, Ah was in a cement cell.

"The cell was exactly three paces wide and seven paces long. There was a thick metal door on one of the long sides with a thin slit of one of those one-way windows. The walls were easily eight feet high, and they didn't bother ta hide the surveillance equipment in the corners. There were cameras, microphones, other instruments that Ah didn't recognize at first.

"Ah was still a little groggy when Ah woke up, but Ah could feel a pressure around my throat, my hands, and my ankles. There was a residual psyche in my head from the orderly that had put the collars on me. Ah gathered as much as Ah could from his memories. Ah had been fitted with those electronic collars ya put on a disobedient dog—the ones where ya push a button and the mutt is zapped. The one around mah neck was also there ta monitor vital signs, it had a wireless connection with one of the boxes on the top of the wall. Ah knew enough from the psyche that trying to get the collars off was pointless; not only were they bonded with adamantium, but they were wired ta go off if they were tampered with.

"So Ah lay where Ah was, waitin' for all the feeling ta come back before Ah decided to advertise just how conscious Ah was. It might have been twenty minutes, it might have been several hours before the guards came an' Ah had my first introduction ta the collars."

Rogue swallowed and looked down at the table for a moment. A wry smile twisted her lips before she glanced up at Remy, who was sitting very silently. "It was certainly a very effective way of gettin' me up."

Remy twitched.

"They 'escorted' me into an interrogation room," Rogue continued. "They thought they were being cautious, wearin' gloves and all, but their faces and necks were all still exposed. Ah was still a little weak from the charge and Ah knew that even if Ah managed ta knock all the guards down and run, Ah wouldn't make it far. They were still on red alert—ya could see it from the red lights glowin' runnin' across the corridor. So Ah decided ta do my best not ta draw attention ta the fact that they were vulnerable an' wait for an 'opportune moment.'

"Once the guards had me seated in some sort of chair with metal links and had turned on the bright light, Ah was injected with something that made me…loose. Ah think it was probably sodium amobarbital. Ah found myself answerin' questions regarding my medical history before Ah thought twice about it," Rogue shook her head with a wry grin. "Fortunately, 'bout the time Ah was confessing ta my grape jelly allergy an' how Ah had found out 'bout it in forth grade, some of the psyches started stirrin'. Ah never thought Ah'd be grateful for all the voices in my head. With my defenses down, they sorta…swarmed into the front of my mind. All that…noise, plus the drug was too much for my system ta handle and Ah passed out.

"When Ah woke up, Ah was back in that cement room. After a while, when they didn't come back, Ah curled up with this thin wool blanket they had provided in the corner, right next ta an honest-ta-God chamber pot and did my best to get some sleep. Do ya want me ta go on?"

Her gaze was hard and distant when she met his burning eyes. Remy's tension was evident even through his trench-coat clad form, his shoulders were slightly hunched and a muscle in his jaw was twitching.

"What did they do t' you? Did they hurt you?"

Rogue shrugged. "Not as much as they were gonna."

Remy narrowed his eyes, "What do y' mean?"

"The scientists weren't exactly prepared for that many new mutants. They still hadn't decided on what their main goal was, let alone their best possible approach."

"How'd you know this?"

Rogue shrugged. "A lot of it was basic deduction—there had ta be a reason why they didn't really…work on us. We were under constant surveillance, every move we made was studied and catalogued but there was nothing…permanently debilitating done ta any of us. Besides, the scientists had a habit of talking around ya like ya couldn't understand English. They weren't expecting us ta be rescued; Area 51 had been hidden for decades."

"How _did_ de X-Men find y'?"

Rogue glanced down at her still folded hands before meeting his gaze again, "That's not my story ta tell ya. We done?"

Remy shook his head in a slow, deliberate movement. "_Non_. Y' told me what they didn't do t' ya. How bout y' tell me what they _did._"

Rogue tilted her head slightly and exhaled slowly before continuing. "They weren't very happy with the fact that Ah refused ta tell them about mah mutation. The guards worked me over pretty good a couple of times. Fists and boots. Once with a nightstick. They had to hold me down," there was a faint tone of pained pride in her voice.

Remy's jaw clenched.

"The worst was probably the marrow grafts. The scientists weren't exactly interested in anesthesia. They strapped me into the table and gave me just enough so that Ah wouldn't be able to jerk around. It wasn't about giving me pain, Remy, it was about conserving their resources. Ah just wasn't important enough ta be given that much consideration."

Rogue kept her hands clenched on the table, and the leather gloves squeaked with the pressure she was putting on them. She didn't notice, but Remy glanced down. He extended a hand, possibly to take one of her own in his again, but Rogue interrupted his attempt with a hissed, "_Don't_ touch me."

Remy met her gaze and rested his hand on the table.

"Ya wanted ta know. So Ah'm tellin' ya. D'ya want me ta stop?"

"_Non._"

Rogue held his gaze for a long moment before continuing, "Ah'm not sure how long it was before Ah was allowed ta see the others, and then it was only part of some sick psychological experiment. It was meant ta measure mah emotional response ta seein' one of the othas in pain. Then they reversed it."

She tilted her head to the side again, staring off into unoccupied space, "They didn't hafta do much ta cause the pain, ya know. The electric collars were more than enough. Ah tried ta escape once. Absorbed everyone Ah could in order ta just get out an' get help. Even _with _the security codes in mah head, Ah didn't git far once they activated th' collas."

Rogue rolled her shoulders, still not meeting Remy's insistent gaze as she continued to stare at nothing. She slowly unlaced her fingers and reached out for a glass of water. Her hand shook slightly as she lifted it up and drank. Rogue set the glass down again and reclasped her fingers before turning to face Remy's stare.

"It's a good thing that the X-Men came when they did. My botched escape attempt all but shouted at the mutation Ah was tryin' ta keep hidden. Scott an' the others showed up just after they had caught me. Ah still had all the information about where the mutants were bein' kept in my head, an' all the codes, so Ah lead them through the compound and we freed everyone we could an' left. Ah understand why he left Mystique there…but Ah still don't think Ah'd wish that place on anyone."

"What'd y' do after y' got out?"

Rogue's lips twitched upward before she spoke, "Logan took one look at the condition Ah was in and gave me a tap. Havin' your ribs knit together all at once is an interestin' experience. The army was after us, so we had to book it ta a hide-away fast. Logan wanted ta go and tear it up, he was so mad about the position we had all been placed in. The professor was missing, an' the whole situation was just one big mess. Then Juggernaut escaped an' we had ta deal with him… which turned out ta be a good thing, actually. Ah'll have ta thank Cain if Ah see him again."

"Cain?"

"Juggernaut. His name is Cain."

Remy nodded slowly, "Ah saw ya absorb him on de TV. Dat was very brave."

Rogue shrugged, "It ain't that brave ta do the necessary."

"Still, ta go out an' fight after goin' t'rough all dat at Area 51—"

"Remy. Stop," Rogue twisted her gloved hands and finally lifted a hand to shove an errant hair behind her ear. "Ah won't have ya goin' on like what Ah went through was any sort of big deal. No, it wasn't pleasant. But it could have been much worse. An' before ya say anything Ah _know_ it could have been worse. Ah've experienced Magneto, Mystique, and Weapon X's memories. Believe me, compared ta that… this was a Ferris wheel ride."

There was a long moment of silence before Remy quirked an eyebrow. "A Ferris wheel ride?"

Rogue shrugged uncomfortably, "Just don't look at me any differently. It's over now. Done."

Remy reached out to touch her again, tilting her head towards him by placing his gloved knuckle under her chin. "It's not dat—"

"Apple pie?"

The greasy waiter fidgeted as two very intense gazes shifted to him. "It's fresh out of the oven," he offered, before sliding the pie on the table and walking quickly away.

Rogue pulled her chin out of Remy's touch and dropped her gaze to the steaming apple pie. Remy followed her gaze.

"Suddenly, I'm not dat hungry," Remy said.

Rogue gave a soft huff and sank further back in her seat, her eyes still downcast.

Remy studied her with narrowed eyes for a long moment. "Wanna go for a ride?"

Rogue's eyes shot up to meet his. "A ride?"

Remy winked, a small smirk tweaking up the corners of his mouth before he said, "On my _bike_, _chere_."

Rogue glared at him as the memory of one of his more salient emails regarding Scott's car came to mind.

Remy's smirk only broadened into a grin far too charming to be genuine as he flipped opened a pink—_pink—_wallet, dropped what looked to be several fifties on the table, and pocketed the wallet again.

Rogue was sure that she caught a flash of rhinestone in the wallet. Rhinestone!

But before she had a chance voice any one of the twenty scathing remarks which were clamoring to be released first, Remy had slid out of the booth and made a smooth grab for her hand.

"C'mon," he said, and tugged her out of the booth.

She let him help her out of the booth before tugging her hand back, hard.

To her extreme irritation, Remy was unfazed and flashed her a smile even _more_ charming for the amusement it held as he began to lead her out of the smelly little restaurant by her hand.

_Why does he keep _touching_ me?_ Rogue tightened her grip on Remy's hand as hard as she could. She had the small satisfaction of observing his shoulder twitch before he twisted his head and met her furious gaze.

His own red-on-black eyes fairly _snapped _with amusement as he spoke in an exaggerated drawl that Rogue had already learned to recognize as the prelude to something extravagantly inappropriate, "I always t'ought you'd have—"

"Finish that sentence, and they'll never find your corpse," Rogue growled.

Remy chuckled, a dark reverberating sound that stirred a tingly feeling around her rib cage.

He turned his head to continue to drag her out of the restaurant, "So violent, _cherie. _Seems t' me dat you've got a lot of pent up _frustration_ dat could do wit' a little release."

"Ya are a sad, sad little man, did ya know that?" Rogue sighed, blinking in the sudden sunlight. "Ah'm really startin' ta wonder if you've got some sort of medical condition…"

Her voice trailed off at the sight of Remy's bike. This one was a Harley Davidson VRSCD Night-Rod with obvious custom detail. It was a gorgeous machine, all black leather and chrome. But what made the motorcycle enthusiast in her drool was the 60° V-Twin Revolution® engine with its 115 horses and torque… it was _made_ for long, fast drives and Rogue felt her jaw drop as she took in the custom work on the exhaust pipes and the wheels.

_It's just wrong ta leave that much power sittin' still. _

Remy, who just finished fitting his sunglasses on while Rogue had been speaking, turned to face her once again, and tugged her a little closer to him. "Mebbe so, but I'm de man wit' de _belle_ bike an' _fille_ on my arm."

Rogue took the opportunity to twist Remy's arm.

"Ow!" Remy finally let go of her hand and stepped away from her towards his bike. "Just for dat, y' don't get t' drive her."

"But—"

"_Non,_" Remy said and extended an extra helmet to her. "Y' said you'd ask nice, and _dat_, _chere_, was not nice at all."

Rogue took the helmet and blew out an exasperated breath, "Least it got ya ta let go of me."

Remy grinned at her while fastening his own helmet and mounting his bike. "Sure it did. But now, y' got t' hold on to me, _oui_?"

Rogue's muttered curses were drowned out by Remy's revving of his bike. "Y' comin' or not, _chere_?"

Rogue placed the helmet on her head and then put a hand on her hip, "Where are we goin' an' why should Ah come?"

Remy's grin only widened and the amused tone in voice hinted at what he was leaving unsaid, "'Cause it'll be fun. C'mon, Rogue. Let's go for a _ride_."

Rogue stood there for a moment, her head cocked to the side as she took a long look at the beautiful man on his beautiful machine.

He only cocked an eyebrow and revved the bike again.

Rogue sighed. "Ah musta taken leave of my senses," she grumbled as she climbed on to the bike behind Remy.

"You're gonna hafta hold on tighter dan _dat, chere_!" Remy shouted over the roar of the bike as he took off.

Rogue had already tightened her hold around Remy's stomach at the bike's sudden jump forward and was trying very hard just to breathe normally at being this close to another person. Her chest was pressed into his back, her legs around his thighs, and she could _feel_ every breath he took. The sliver of exposed skin on the back of his neck screamed out _danger_ to her, and she ducked her head between his shoulder blades to avoid any accidental contact. She felt him chuckle at her action and cursed both of them for fools. His stomach was flat and hard under her hands and she distracted herself from it by closing her eyes and concentrating on the feel of speed and freedom beneath her as Remy drove.

When Remy finally pulled the bike to a stop, Rogue had lost track of how long they had been driving. She waited until Remy had parked the bike before sliding back on the bike to put distance between herself and his skin and lifted her head.

They were somewhere on the outskirts of Bayville, very much off the beaten path. There was a deserted section of beach in front of them and now that the roar of the motor had been cut down, Rogue could hear the insistent beating of Hudson on the turf.

She had no idea where they were.

_Note ta self: in the future when joyriding with a megalomaniacal villain's lackey, _keep your eyes open_ during the ride. _

"Enjoy de ride, _chere_?" Remy's warm voice cut into her thoughts.

Rogue dismounted, "It's a nice bike."

"_Nice_?" Remy got off and followed Rogue as she started to walk out towards the sand.

Rogue shrugged, carefully not looking at him. "Sure. Doubt that it has the power of Scott's sports car, though. And even though it was smooth…for a bike—" she stopped to turn around and observe Remy's expression. He was attempting to be calm, but his jaw was set and a muscle in his cheek was twitching.

Rogue tried to hold in her amusement and failed miserably when her snort turned into giggles.

"S'not funny, _chere_," Remy pouted, pushing out his full lower lip.

Rogue only laughed harder.

"Ha, ha. Laugh it up," Remy reached into his trenchcoat and removed his retractable bo. With one deft flick of his rest, it had extended to its full length.

"Woah, Remy. Whatcha doin'?" Rogue put out both hands and began backing up from his advance.

_Note: When stranded in places unknown with a megalomaniacal villain's lackey, _do not dis his bike.

"Didn't ya wonder why I brought y' out here, _chere_?"

"Ah didn't think it was so ya could play with your stick!"

Remy slipped off his sunglasses and carefully placed them in his pocket. "Nah, _chere_. It was so dat _we_ could play wit' my stick." With that, he jumped forward and attacked her.

Rogue quickly jumped out of the way, "What the _hell_, Remy?"

"C'mon Rogue, y' said y' were a scrapper—show me what ya got!" His grin was positively predatory.

"Ah wouldn't wanna hurt ya, swamp rat. Don't feel like draggin' your sorry ass back home," Rogue spoke as she circled him warily.

"Promises, promises," Remy said used his bo to stabilize himself in a flip that landed him directly behind her so he could speak in her ear. "Heard ya sayin' dat you'd spoil me and I haven't seen any of _dat_ either."

Rogue immediately dropped into a crouch and swept her foot behind her in a low kick. "How many times do Ah have ta tell ya that Ah'm _not_ playin' strip poker with ya?"

Remy jumped back and followed through with a swipe of his bo to where Rogue's face had been only a minute before. "Make ya a bet, _chere_. Ya beat me in dis lil' sparring match, an' I never bring up de poker game again. _Mais_, if I win…"

"If ya win, what?" Rogue caught his bo in her gloved hands and they were locked together over the bo as they each strained to gain control over the weapon.

Remy stretched his head over the bo to be only a few inches away from Rogue's face. "Den let's just say dat our next date will involve chips and cards," he winked.

Rogue abruptly dropped her grip on the bo which caused Gambit's weight to shift forward on to Rogue's swiftly raised knee. He grunted when she caught him in the gut.

"Deal," she said, and followed through with a jab towards his face.

Remy deflected her fist with the bo and grinned, "_Bon_. An' mebbe while we do dis, we have anot'er little talk, _non_?"

"What are ya, a girl?"

Remy's eyes flickered. "T'ink ya know better dan _dat, cherie._"

"Then shut up and prove it, Swamp Rat." Rogue spoke with a grin before attempting to sweep him off his feet with another low kick.

Remy jumped over her foot and used his bo to aim for her head. Rogue caught the bo in a gloved hand and used the momentum to propel her up and towards him.

Remy could see that what she told him was true. Rogue _was_ a scrapper. She had the natural grace of a fighter, and excellent instincts.

But she was also being _trained_ by a scrapper. Though Rogue knew how to hit hard—he already felt some bruises forming on his ribs—her method of attack was easy to predict for someone who had spent his life learning the more complex forms of combat. _After all, the T'ieves had t' be able t' defend t'emselves against de Assassins, non_?

The Wolverine had trained Rogue in going against opponents bigger and stronger, but he hadn't yet taught her how to get in close and take advantage of the fact that she was a smaller target.

_You're good, _chere, mais_, you've still got a lot t' learn._

Remy swept his bo towards her head—Rogue ducked and made a quick jab for his stomach which he dodged—and decided that it was time to bring up why he had started this little game.

"Is de reason why y' don't want t' talk 'bout Area 51 'cause you're scared dat people will pity y'?"

Rogue's eyes widened and she barely avoided his jab to her stomach. "Ah already talked about it. There's nothin' more ta say."

Remy planted the bo on the ground and used it to swing a kick towards her. "Y' said dat your experiences were not'in' compared t' de ones dat you've already got in y' head. I don' buy it. Y' can't tell me dat it's not any different. Sure, you've got all t'ose ot'er experiences in y' head, but dis happened t' _you_."

Rogue flipped away from the kick and began circling him again, eyes narrowed, "Shut-up."

Remy responded, circling her as well and making occasional jabs towards her with his bo. "Don't _tell_ me dat it doesn't make any difference. It was _your_ body dat dey beat. It was _your_ friends dat y' watched get hurt. It happened t' _you_, _chere._ Y' need t' _deal_ wit' dat."

Rogue gave a low laugh. "Ya don't know the first thing about what you're sayin'."

Remy went in for the kill, "I t'ought you said I knew you, _Anna_."

Rogue smiled a small, tight smile. "Ya might know _Anna_, but you've got a hell of a lot ta learn about the Rogue."

On the next jab of the bo she grabbed it with both hands and flipped back, twisting it out of Remy's grip with the force of her weight. She landed in a crouch with her back towards him and then used her momentum to swing around, the bo extended, and connect with his knees.

Remy fell to the ground and his head on the sand caused it to poof up around his head.

Rogue walked towards him, breathing heavily, and placed the bo at his throat. "Ah win."

"Don' bet on it," Remy hooked a leg around hers and pulled, causing Rogue to collapse with her head at his feet.

Rogue groaned and let the bo roll away. They both lay there, breathing deeply for a few minutes before Remy spoke.

"Why don't y' hate dem?" he said softly.

"What makes ya think Ah don't hate them?" Rogue sat up so she could see Remy's face.

Remy propped himself on his elbows and looked at her. "If y' did, you'd be fightin' with Magneto, friends or no friends."

Rogue gave a crooked smile, and ran her gloved fingers through her hair. "Ah do hate some of them. But now more than ever Ah'm convinced, committed, ta makin' the Prof's dream of mutants and normals co-exist peacefully."

"I don' understand."

"Here's the thing," Rogue leaned forward, never losing eye-contact, "Ah _know_ them, Remy. Normals, mutants, scientists--Ah _know_ them like they only know themselves. Ah know them _better_ than they know themselves, 'cause Ah can see them objectively. Ah know why they act how they do—and some of them, it makes it easier ta hate, and some of them, it makes it impossible. But with all these _people_ in mah head, Ah have ta make sure Ah know _why_ Ah'm doin' what Ah'm doin'—because Ah refuse ta let _them_ tell me what ta do. And the reason why Ah'm fightin' with Xavier is 'cause he's the only one who seems ta understand that the reason why everyone's acting this way is 'cause they're scared. He's tryin' ta show them that they don't have ta act out of their fear. An' Ah don't know if the X-Men are the best way, but they're the best way Ah see."

Remy made a noncommittal noise and stood up. He offered her a hand, "I t'ink we call dis one a draw, _non_?"

"Ah knocked ya down first!" Rogue said, ignoring his hand and standing on her own. "An' ya had a weapon the whole time while _Ah_ had ta avoid touchin' ya skin-on-skin!"

Remy retrieved his bo and collapsed it again, "_Mais_, no one said dat ya didn't hafta touch me. Y' put dat restriction on yourself. An' I don' recollect settin' de terms of what constituted a 'win.'"

"Ah still say that Ah won," Rogue insisted.

Remy grinned at her, "I'll let ya drive?"

Rogue glared at him for a long minute while he just grinned at her benignly.

"Fine," Rogue sighed and held out her hand.

Remy tossed her the keys.

Rogue caught them and started walking back to the bike, "But don't think lettin' me drive is gonna get ya out of every argument."

Remy watched her walk with great satisfaction, "Wouldn't dream of it, _chere_."

* * *

Look, Ma! No cliffe! 

I am so very sorry that this took so long to get out. Between broken computers and new jobs and family crisises--well, let's just say that it's been an eventful couple of months. But I did my best to make this chapter worthwhile. Thanks again to Eileen for looking it over for me. (If you haven't already checked out her new story 1942--what are you waiting for? Make sure you leave a nice little note encouraging her to update. :)) Review Responses for chpt 26 are on the way.


	28. An Accord

**D****isclaimer: **Nothing has changed in the status of my petition--I still do not own X-Men or evolution.

Written place during 'The Toad, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'

* * *

_We that are of purer fire  
Imitate the Starry __Quire__  
_--Comus, John Milton

It'll be nice working with proper villains again.  
--Basher, Ocean's 11

* * *

Despite what those who knew him might say, Remy thought of himself as a very uncomplicated individual. He didn't like trouble unless he was the one causing it. Uncertainty was fine, if it was in other people. He didn't mind feeling things deeply if they were things like pleasure, satisfaction, amusement, or confidence—any other emotion he kept strictly detached from himself. It only got in the way. 

See? Simple.

This explained why he was currently crouched low over his motorcycle speeding away from Magneto's secret base in search of some decent bourbon and some pleasant distracting company.

Because after meeting with Rogue that afternoon—nothing much felt simple.

In as much as fighting with her had been a form of confronting her with what it was she was keeping stuffed inside, it had also been a treat. It had been enjoyable to watch her _move_, see the cute little pucker in between her brows when she was concentrating, start to memorize the style she used, her habits…it had been reassuring in a very visceral way that she was still _there_, that she had _survived_, that there were _steps_ being made to make sure she would never be taken like that again.

In a way, he was all the more convinced that joining Magneto had been the right decision to make. Look at what those _flatscans_ had done to his—well—_his_! Just because she was a mutant, just because they could, just because they had caught her—no, this sort of behavior could not be permitted to continue.

On the other hand…part of the reason Rogue had been in that position in the first place was because of Magneto's plan. And while Remy wasn't foolish enough to take on the blame for actions that he had no control over—and he recognized that the actions of the scientists were those he could not control (unless he found their hiding place and blew them all to hell)—he _did _feel a certain amount of…_responsibility_ for being part of the plan that led to her capture.

He could agree with Magneto that a war was coming, and he knew that it was better to strike first and ask questions later when your life was on the line, but to use other mutants like bait, mutants who were little more than _kids…_

And then she had gone off about _understanding_ them, and how that understanding didn't buy them forgiveness but something…else. Something that felt a lot more like…acceptance. It wasn't that she wasn't angry, furious, hurt, willing to _hurt them back_—but only so that they could never do it again. There wasn't more than the smallest hint of vengeance. She said that she understood that they did it because they were afraid.

Her _understanding_ made him mad. And he wasn't sure why.

Remy heaved a frustrated sigh and abruptly changed directions on his bike, reveling in the indignant honks of the motorists around him. He had too much to think about to get drunk. He decided to head towards where he and Rogue had sparred earlier in the day. If he was going to think about this, then he had a feeling it was going to require some physical activity to keep his focus.

How could she be like that, so _open_ towards her enemies, when just the fact that he was feeling protective of something—of _her_—made him nervous, made him want to withdraw or start playing with her like a cat with cornered mouse.

Yes, things were getting complicated.

And then there was the challenge of going up against someone he had actually _warned_ about himself. Those that knew just how manipulative he was had learned from bitter experience that the Prince of Thieves always had about three 'back up plans' so beneficial to his cause that it was impossible to tell which plan had been the original in the first place.

It would be interesting to just how Rogue responded to him, trusting him that she couldn't trust him, interesting to see just how seriously she'd taken his warnings…

_Not seriously enough,_ Remy mused, _not if she's still lettin' me talk t' her._

…and interesting to see what he could do with her while she thought she was being careful.

And that's where he ran into that wall in his thinking—an uncomfortable, choking feeling that welled up each time he thought of playing with her. He could only view it as the unfortunate result of bonding with a stranger he never thought he'd have to meet—if Remy had thought for a _second_ that those letters would have put him in such an uncomfortable position where he, himself, was standing in the way of what he wanted, well—

He wouldn't have gone back and done it over again, that was the trouble of the thing. He still _valued_ what he and Anna had shared. If he didn't want to maintain that friendship, that place of sanctuary, then it would have been easy to ignore the past year and a half. He had ignored larger obstacles.

But… but _Rogue_ in all her untouchable softness and guarded space, with her sparkling eyes and enthralling curves and emotional distance

And still…_Anna_. Secrets and laughter and jokes and _trust_ and that sense of…acceptance. Belonging.

Damn it.

So, fine. He didn't want to hurt her. And if he didn't want her hurt, the best thing he could do would be to leave her alone.

_Mais_, where was the fun in that?

XxX

Dear Rogue,

I hope you're not too _sore_ from our last meeting. I didn't mean to go so hard on you, I just got so excited… It was good to see you in action. Just a word of advice—see if you can get your pet wolverine to help you work on your speed and endurance. You're gonna need it if you plan on playing with the big boys.

After all, you can't expect everyone to go easy on you—as easy on the eyes as you might be, not everyone has the same appreciation for beauty.

_Mais¸ _it explains so much that you live in this one-wheel town! It's no wonder you and your friends kept getting into trouble—you had to do something to keep from being bored out of your skulls.

Though I'm not sure I can blame the small town for your crush on the cyclops. Though I certainly do see what you mean when you said that the selection was _small_. Still, I can't believe that he took up this much of your time—thought you'd write him off as a pansy long since.

What do you do for _fun, chere?_ You don't strike me as the type to be happy trolling the mall, and there's not much else I see kids your age doing here—well, 'sides loitering. And they're not even doing anything _useful_ when they loiter—shameful, really, all those missed opportunities. Back in New Orleans, hanging on the streets meant there were things being done.

Least ways we're not that far from the Big Apple. Sometime you and me should ditch this town and see how much trouble we can get into there. I've had to hole up there a time or two and I know some sweet spots I wouldn't mind revisiting with you. I think you'd be able to show them the proper attention.

After all, two southern transplants up here in the frozen North need to look out for each other, neh?

And you had best be looking, _chere_.

I know I'll be seeing _you_.

Later,

Remy

XxX

Dear Remy,

I realize that the elderly often have difficulty with their memories. I hope that I didn't aggravate the situation when I _swept the floor_ with you. I understand that you've been receiving special treatment in the geriatric ward, but you can't expect that everywhere. After all, not everyone has the same tolerance as _paid_ nurses for the feeble…minded.

As for fun, I would like to remind you of _what_ I am. First and foremost, I'm a mutant—not all of us can cover up our powers with the help of some handy shades. _You_ try wearing gloves in hundred degree weather and see how inconspicuous you are.

'Normal' teen 'activities' are not for me. It's not safe—for me or anyone else.

If people touch me, they get hurt. And I don't want to have to deal with any more whining psyches if at all possible, thank you very much.

And don't think I've forgotten why being a mutant has become just that much harder. My regards to your boss—I hope he chokes on them.

Secondly, I'm an X-Man. It wasn't something I ever saw myself being, and when I first found out about my powers—well, let's just say that even after discovering exactly how _stank_ their house was, I still thought the Brotherhood was better than those these X-Geeks. But I'm an X-Man now. And I'm proud of it.

And with being an X-Man comes training sessions at crazy hours, 'team activities,' and living in a house with a whole bunch of hormonal idiots with superpowers.

So, what free time are you talking about here, exactly?

And what should I call this letter? 'Creepy stalker attempt number 302?' You'll be seeing me? I should 'look out?' Do you see me now—I'm shaking.

Just so long as you're willing to practice the more normal form of discretion, I'll meet you anytime, anywhere.

And that 'more normal' form of discretion means—no meeting in front of Kitty. Ever. She's way smarter than she seems, and she already suspects you of 'like having nefarious intentions or whatever.' It's bad enough that I'm 'meeting with the enemy' but lying about it in the face of constant questions and concern can't be good for team unity.

--Rogue

X

_Chere_,

I'm touched by your concern for my health, really I am. But don't worry, I don't think that I've been in any danger serious enough to warrant going to the hospital—though you _did_ promise to nurse me back to health in case there was any problems after we met. I guess I'll just have to hold you to that some other time? Too bad, you'd look mighty fine in a nurse's outfit…

And in case you didn't notice—I wear gloves too, Rogue. And New Orleans ain't exactly the artic. Not everything is as simple as it seems.

No need to get so wound up about what it is that you do to pass the time. It was a simple question. _Mais_, I didn't realize the life of an X-Man was so complicated—did they tell you all about the training sessions when you signed up?

(Sigh) It's understandable with the company you keep, but you really need to learn to loosen up, _chere_. I know! Let's play a game. Now that you know that I'm going to be watching you, let's make a bet. If you can spot me while I'm watching you, I won't approach you in front of your little X-friends. But if at the end of the week you _haven't_ spotted me, then I get to show up whenever I want and however I want and you agree to play along no matter what.

Deal?

X

Remy,

You really are an ass, did you know that? I promised you no such thing. In fact, I distinctly remember _laughing_ at your high expectations.

And as for your deal—don't think I'm going to blindly agree to play along with _anything_. Besides, how do I know that you just wouldn't cheat? All you'd need to do is stay and home and lie that you'd been watching me and I wouldn't have any way of knowing the difference.

Don't take me for such a fool.

X

Rogue,

I find your lack of faith disturbing! I don't cheat—I don't need to. I'm just that good. No reason to worry when it's already a sure thing. Give me some credit here.

X

Remy,

I find your choice of quotes disturbing. Is there something that you're not telling me about your obsession with villains-wearing-buckets-as-hats?

Sure, you don't cheat—you don't cheat unless it's convenient for you to cheat.

If we're going to do this, then you're going to need to be able to tell me exactly what I was doing and _when_ I was doing it when you watched me—and you're going to have to watch me for at least an hour—all at once—in one day. No random five minute checks at strange intervals. I need to have a sporting chance.

…I can't believe I'm giving you guidelines for stalking me.

X

Rogue,

(laughs) You drive a hard bargain, _cherie. _I'm proud of you for it. Those are good guidelines, _mais _you can't be expecting me to keep a 'stalkers log' or any such thing. The first rule of any proper villainy is to never leave a paper trail. I'll up the bargain—each day, I'll have to do something so that you'll _know_ I've been there. I won't reveal myself to anyone or any such foolish thing. But you'll know.

Do we have an accord?

X

Remy,

You must be losing your touch—that villain didn't have a bucket over his head, just a bunch of eyeliner and a rather silly hat. Dare I hope you're expanding your horizons?

Yes, we have a deal.

XxX

Six inches. A hand's breadth. That was the closest anyone ever got to Rogue at any point during his observation. Remy had to admire the dexterous dance Rogue performed with her unknowing partners. Even with the ones that he knew she considered 'close,' the roommate and the transporter, that six inches never changed.

She had been right—he knew _Anna_, the girl with the acerbic wit, sly sense of humor, and charming insecurities. This girl, _Rogue_, could walk down a high school hallway brimming with the most self-absorbed examples of humanity and maintain ruthlessly enforced personal space. She didn't look at them, her eyes were always fixed straight ahead, the force of her presence, her _don't mess with me _attitude made it so that they crowded each other to stay away from her.

For some of the students their response to give Rogue space was instinctual—they barely noticed her even as they pressed against others to stay away from her. Some of them were all too aware of the space she enforced and they glared at her, hating her for making them bow to her will. Rogue never acknowledged hate filled glares directed at her, but Remy knew that she felt it. Her shoulders were hunched even as her gaze was hard and cold as flint.

It made him want to get in close, to shadow her footsteps and slip behind her—to stand three inches away and halve her space and watch the widening of her green-grey eyes as she decided whether or not to fight or run.

How many times had she written in her letters that she _couldn't_ get close to anyone? How many times had she said it wasn't something that he could understand?

Remy LeBeau understood security systems very well, and he saw how Rogue was guarding herself.

His fingers fairly _twitched_ with the desire to strip her guard from her, layer after layer and leave her open and bare before him. He wanted the others who so carefully or casually avoided her to see him do it. He wanted the ones who had tried so unsuccessfully to get close, but who couldn't because they were too scared or had other, higher priorities—oh, he wanted them to see most of all. So that they could understand that this treasure could have been theirs, but now never would be. Rogue's heart, that which she kept hidden—_Anna_—was already his.

She just didn't know it yet.

Remy wasn't sure if Rogue was holding herself apart for her protection or to keep her friends safe. He was beginning to understand the ridiculous sense of justice that she had after his conversation with her the previous week—Rogue was the kind of girl who wanted to _protect_ people, even if—especially if—it came down to her being hurt instead.

Letting someone in close would be good for her. Being selfish for once would be good for her. She needed to learn to go after what it was that she wanted. And once he got in close, he had no intention of leaving her alone. He had no intention of abandoning her or using her.

It didn't mean he wouldn't. But he wasn't doing this to hurt her. Hopefully, that would make the difference. Hopefully, this time, the person he got close to wouldn't get hurt just because he was there.

Because this just wasn't the sort of challenge he could leave alone.

XxX

Rogue opened her locker and glared at the origami crane sitting with smug innocence on top of the upper shelf. The paper he had used showed a dark blot on one of the wings, so she unfolded it and frowned when she recognized the failed attempt at sketching the Japanese Maple during her 'study period.' Drawing with gloves on complicated what already challenged her and the proportions were all off. She had crumpled it up in frustration and thrown it away on her way to her next class.

He had seen it, seen the _picture_, and decided to let her know. Charming.

Rogue crumbled up the crane and let it fall to the floor.

She had felt hyper-aware of Remy _watching_ her since their last email. That awareness had been prickling the short hairs at the back of her neck every time she stepped out into public and sometimes even in the privacy of her own room. _But surely,_ she thought, _Remy wouldn't be so foolish as to try to sneak on to the property of the world's preeminent telepath just for the sake of a stupid bet. Would he?_

She had almost been driven past the point of temptation yesterday and stumbled into Jean. Dealing with the reinforcement of Jean's psyche would have been a fair price to pay for the satisfaction of getting rid of the itching, _watching_ feeling. It would have been a relief just to know _when_ it was he was watching her, if not where he was and how he had managed to hide himself from them all so successfully these past 182 hours.

But that would have been cheating. He would never know, probably, but still—it was the principle of the thing. _Even if_, she mused, _he would probably be laughing at me for not taking any advantage I had._

Keeping on the look-out for him without letting the others get suspicious had been trying. And to make it worse, her psyches kept clamoring at her. They were getting so noisy, now, it was hard to tell them apart. At least they were a handy excuse for her unease when Kitty had confronted her about her temper the other day.

Somehow she didn't think saying, "Sorry, Kit, I've just been on the lookout for an Acolyte this past week. Don't worry, I'm just trying to spot him before he decides the game is up so that he will agree to keep our secret meetings private, that's all," would go over so well.

But her ex-roommate knew what it meant when Rogue said that she had a headache.

And Rogue knew what it meant when Kitty shook her head and clucked her tongue. It meant, "Fine, I accept the fact that you're in pain and to stubborn to do anything about it. But if you're not better in two days I'm totally telling Dr. McCoy on you."

And then Rogue would respond with death threats and the two of them would be at an impasse.

Speaking of threats, she had promised to meet Kitty, Amara, and Tabitha at the mall on pain of 'being phased into handcuffs with some special boom-boom bangles attached and forced into a Julia Roberts marathon.'

Rogue would do worse things than endure three hours at the mall to avoid the special extended addition of 'Pretty Woman' and 'My Best Friends' Wedding.'

Besides—it wouldn't be so bad. She had enjoyed being one of the Sirens after all, and Tabitha was always amusing to be around and—and somewhere, someone was squealing. Loudly. And she would probably have to put up with that same squealing the whole time.

She was doomed.

She shut her locker with a resigned sigh and began to make her way to where the noise was coming from.

It wasn't hard to pinpoint—Kitty was jumping up and down in front of Scott's car, Jean was beaming and Kurt was jabbering at Scott.

"Rogue!" Kitty ran towards her. "You'll never guess what Jean just told us!"

"She's graduating early?"

Kitty scarcely blinked, "No, the professor chartered a cruise for us during break! Isn't that totally awesome? And Jean's gonna come with us to the mall, because we all have to go shopping for new swimsuits and summer clothes. I totally can't wait, I'm so excited I could just scream!"

Rogue rubbed her ear, "Ah think ya just did, Kit."

Kitty rolled her eyes and made to grab Rogue's elbow before aborting the attempt at Rogue's glare. "Come on! They're all waiting for us by the car."

"Oh, Ah just can't wait ta go swimsuit shopping. Somebody hold me, the excitement might be too much."

Kitty stopped walking and glanced back to Rogue, "Two words. Runaway. Bride."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "Technically, that could be four words."

"And if you keep that up, I'm going to make you go with me to Claire's. I think they have a sale on pink tiaras…"

"Tiaras and Claire's were in no way part of this bargain," Rogue said. "And don't get me started about the prof's idea of a relaxing vacation. There's gotta be some way ta get out this…maybe Logan was planning on doing some more intensive survival training…"

Jean overheard her and commented with a smile, "Come on, Rogue. Even you will have to admit that the Caribbean is beautiful any time of the year."

Rogue bared her teeth in the farce of a smile, "Sure, Jean. Except maybe during hurricane season. And if ya have ta stand in the sweltering heat fully clothed at all times."

Rogue saw her comment strike home and watched Jean's face pale. Honestly, what was the professor _thinking_? Rogue could hardly think of a 'vacation' that would make her more uncomfortable—except maybe a trip to a nudist colony.

Had they all _forgotten_? Or did they just not care?

The psyches started pushing at her, their own shadowed emotions responding to hers, rising up with anger and hate and for a moment, she felt her sense of self shrink. It was as if she, Rogue, was just one of many and all of them were riding the wave of emotion and she just wanted to—

Rogue bit down on the inside of her lip until she tasted blood. The physical pain drew her out of the mental spinning and she blinked, trying to get her bearings.

_That…wasn't good. That wasn't normal. Ah don't know what that was, but it wasn't good._

The throbbing in her temples increased. She felt faint.

Jean was saying something, her face contorted in pity and a shade of humiliation.

Kitty was looking at her in concern. Kurt had gone over to torment Tabitha who was hanging out of the window in Jean's SUV, blowing a big pink bubble. If Kurt got too close it would pop and gum would get all over his fur.

And Scott—who knew what Scott was doing, because his face was turned away from her and he was watching Jean.

"Ya know what?" Rogue said, cutting off whatever Jean had been saying. "Screw it. Y'all have fun."

Rogue turned and out of the corner of her eye she saw Jean's face drop and Scott straightening up, "Now, Rogue," he started to say but she was already walking away and Kitty was shouting over him, "America's Sweethearts! Mystic Pizza! Notting Hill!"

Her grip on her messenger bag was so tight she felt the circulation cut off in her fingertips.

No one came after her, but that was probably a good thing. She wanted to _hurt_ somebody and Rogue wasn't sure if she could control it just then.

Of course, the problem with storming out of the parking lot is that you leave behind all the people with cars. It was only about a five mile walk back to the mansion, but by the time she got there Scott probably would have already spoken to the professor. And that meant that she would probably have to talk with the professor. And her head hurt.

Rogue decided against going home right away. If she was lucky, she'd be able to sneak back in before curfew. That way she could go straight to her room and avoid professors and shoppers all together. Or maybe she'd be able to talk to Logan about that 'last minute' survival training. Anything would be better than being stuck on a boat with a bunch of half-naked, hormonal, hyper-active mutant teenagers.

"Y' sure know how t' take de fun out of winning a bet, Rogue," Remy slipped out of an alley and fell into step with her as if he had been walking there all along. "How'm I supposed to go t' de mall and surprise you in front of your friends if y' don't go?"

Almost anything.

"Ah guess you'll just have ta suffer then," Rogue said, not looking at him.

"Oh, I am. Just de thought of missin' out on dat swimsuit try-on-athon. De five of you lovely ladies prancin' around with not'ing more dan a bit o' string an' some hope? Mmm, I suffer just thinking about missin' out on _dat_."

"Sonofa," Rogue muttered before turning to face him, hands on her hips, "If you're in so much pain, why don't ya go _alleviate_ it. Somewhere else. In fact, if ya hurry, ya might just make it ta the mall before they do—why don't ya go catch a front-row seat."

"But y' won't be dere, _cherie_. What's de point if I can't catch a peek of m' favorite girl?"

"Swamp rat, ya ain't _nevah_ gonna catch me with mah clothes off."

Remy grinned at her, "We'll see. After all, we still got dat poker—"

Rogue cursed and lunged at him.

He laughed and slipped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her in to his side and continuing to walk down the street while she squirmed. "C'mon, Rogue. Let's go do somet'ing fun."

"Ah'm not sure Ah trust your definition of that word," she grumbled, ducking out of his hold.

"Aww, dat hurts, Rogue," he turned to face her with a smile that belayed his words. "Really. Right here," and he touched his chest.

"Too bad. Ah was aiming a little lower."

He laughed, "Den mebbe we go somewhere you can work on dat aim, ne? C'mon, Rogue. I won de bet, dis is de least you can do t' humor me."

Rogue crossed her arms, "So what you're saying is that if Ah go with ya now, ya won't show up ta bother me in front of Kitty or any of the other X-Men?"

Remy stepped forward and took both her hands in his, raising them until they were nearly parallel with his shoulders. "I would never show up t' bother y', _cherie_," and he ducked his head to plant a kiss on one gloved hand and then the other.

Rogue blushed and took a simpering step forward, "Really?"

Remy caught her gaze and nodded.

She stepped closer and moved her hands over his shoulders. Remy released them and settled his own lightly over her waist while she continued to place hers on his shoulders.

They held that position for perhaps two seconds before Rogue shoved him away from her as hard as she could, shouting, "Then why are ya here now?"

Remy fell back into a crouch and was up following her as she stormed away before Rogue had a chance to make it to the end of the block.

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Remy ducked his head so his gaze was even with hers. "Hey. Rogue. We're friends, right?"

Rogue glared at him.

He didn't let her go.

The air between them grew heavy, awkward. Rogue thought back to all the emails they had exchanged and all the things she had told him. She tried not to think about how all her friends had just left her there to walk home, about how mad she was that they would have _forgotten_, about the easy way Remy reached out to touch her.

He wasn't wearing whatever it was that hid his natural eyes, and despite her desire Rogue could not bring herself to look away.

"That's a stupid question, Remy," she finally said. "_Are _we friends?"

He gave her a small smile, one that barely tilted up the corners of his lips, "You're dodging de question."

"So are ya. Look at who we are…where we are…are we friends?"

His eyes flickered and his gaze moved from her eyes to her face, focusing on her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes. Then that small smile spread to a full come-and-get-it grin, "Today we are, _cherie_. So—" he slid his hands off her shoulders, down her upper arms, over her elbow and forearm to grip both her hands in his once again.

The places where he touched her tingled, and Rogue had to restrain herself from stepping away.

Remy continued as if his actions had been perfectly normal, "—come do somet'ing fun with me?"

Rogue ran her over options. She could go find someplace to be by herself and try to keep herself occupied, she could return to the mansion and face the inevitable confrontation, or she could go with Remy. Hmm.

She sighed, "What do ya have in mind?"

"Well, dere were a couple of t'ings on de list…I seem t' remember somet'ing about a poker—"

"Finish that sentence, and you're limping home alone."

He cocked an eyebrow and continued in a smooth tone of voice, "tournament on TV. I was gonna say dat we could go find someplace t' watch it and maybe eat some popcorn an' make fun of de announcers. Why, what did ya t'ink I was gonna say?"

"Hmph," Rogue said. "Gonna hafta do better than that."

"Trust me, _chere_, I will."

* * *

AN: I can not express how much I wish that circumstances had allowed to get this out sooner. Hopefully such a stretch will not happen again, as long as I have my computer. I really hope that you all haven't forgotten this story. Thank you _so much_, those of you who expressed your continued interest with reviews and PMs. The fact that you were all still enjoying this story really means a lot to me. I hope you continue to enjoy it. 

In this episode, Toad crashed in on Kurt and Amanda, revealing the fact of Kurt-as-Nightcrawler to Amanda's family. Wanda was kidnapped by Magneto and Mesmero who wiped her memory and replaced the horrors there with happy thoughts. Toad and Kurt rescued her. Toad gets a kiss. The end.


	29. Fold

**Disclaimer**: In which the author states that while she is enjoying playing with the characters, they remain firmly in the possession of Marvel.

Written place after Self-Possessed. The vast majority of the angst that takes place in this chapter is canon. Please do not hunt the author down with pitchforks, as it is not the season for barbecues.

* * *

"Feed the cut and get in line  
To live and burn is tug-o-war"  
--Tug of War, Chevelle

"Something about…betrayal really sticks with you. Trust me, you learn to deal with it—you move on, and you let your real friends be there for you."  
--Wolverine, Self-Possessed.

* * *

Dear Remy, 

I'm writing you from the med lab. I've been unconscious for two days, and they're only just now letting me sit up. I talked Kitty into bringing my laptop down, and—computer whiz that she is—she didn't even think twice about it. I knew I had to write to you, if past history is anything to go by, you must be pretty worried.

I'm sure you've heard…something. What happened wasn't exactly the kind of thing that can be kept quiet. I…I'm not even sure what to tell you. I guess I'll just start at the beginning. You're not gonna like it.

I was playing racquetball with Scott. It was a good game, Scott's a good opponent. I kicked his ass. He was a good sport about it. I asked him if he wanted to play again tomorrow, he replied that he had plans with Jean to go to the concert. He asked me if I had plans to go with anyone. I hemmed and hawed and the answer was, of course, no.

When he walked out and left me there, I had—I've explained to you about my powers as near as I can figure. But I don't remember if I've explained to you how I 'see' the memories of the people I absorb. It's like a strobe light—quick flashes that I have to assimilate into sense once I'm done seeing it. And, remember, I've told you that it doesn't come like it comes for a telepath, I'm not _separate _from the memories—when I'm absorbing them, they're _mine_ just as if they were always mine and…and I'm rambling.

So. When he left I got a bunch of those flashes about Jean and Scott through the eyes _of_ Jean and Scott. It knocked me to my knees. All my emotions were just so mixed up in happy and sad and longing and rage—I decided that I would stay in the court and play by myself.

I was working up a pretty good sweat, trying to separate myself from what I had seen and what was happening, trying to figure out what _I_ wanted and if it was really _me_ that so desperately wanted Scott to ask me to the concert when all of a sudden it didn't matter any more. He _didn't_ ask me. I was there, and I was good enough, and I had _been there_ and he still didn't ask me, he didn't even _see_ me—and I got flashes of Fred, back when he first came to Bayville and had his crush on Jean and I felt it like he did when she rejected him. Before I knew it, the ball was through the wall and the racquet followed.

I should have gone to the professor then. I should have told somebody.

But I didn't. I was tired, I was so very, very tired. The last thing that I wanted to do was stay up late and talk about my powers.

Kitty had finally made me go to Dr. McCoy about my headaches, and I took some extra-strength Excedrin before I went to bed.

I wasn't feeling any better the next morning. But I decided that I would just steer clear of Scott and Jean, and that things would sort themselves out.

I wasn't counting on running into Logan as soon as I left my room—he held up the wrecked racquet, but before I had a chance to say anything, Kitty ran by, dragging me after her, saying that Jean was going to give us a ride to school in her new SUV.

Yeah, so much for my plan. A whole car ride with Jean and Kitty in her new SUV.

Of course, the day only got better when Kitty started asking Jean about the concert. Kurt bamfed in midway, and then I had to hear the recap of the previous conversation. Now I had the whole car ride to hear about Jean and Scott dating. Yes, the five minute drive to the school was too long to put up with this.

I think Jean thought I was rescuing her when I told them to knock it off. If I ever write an autobiography, I think I'll call it: Rogue: An Ode to Irony.

The best part of my day was—again, note the irony—running into an old friend in the bathroom. I know I told you about Risty. She was the one person who I thought could really relate to me, the one person who I could tell just _understood_ me. She wasn't a mutant, but we were so similar in so many other ways that it didn't matter.

The fact that I flashed Kitty and fell in through the bathroom door should have warned me. The fact that I was experiencing other people's powers _at all_ should have been enough for me to make a straight line to Hank.

But Risty was there, and I hadn't seen her since before Magneto exposed us. I was so glad to see her. And she acted as if she had come back from England just for me. And it was _good_ to see her.

And then we went into the hall and I got a drink of water and Storm's powers flared up and I nearly electrocuted the whole school.

But Risty was there and she ushered me outside and I could _breathe_ again. If I had been thinking, I might have wondered how she knew that fresh air would have made me shake off the intense sense of claustrophobia that comes with Storm's memories. But then, why would I have thought that? After all, it's only natural to go outside and get some air if you're having a bad time.

I told her about my powers. How friggin' ironic is that? She was scared when I reached my bare hand towards her. No wonder.

But then she invited me to the concert with her.

I would say that there's when it all started to go horribly wrong, except if I was going to point back to where it started to go horribly wrong I would have to say 'at birth' and that sounds horribly melodramatic and self-pitying, but I can't—

Never mind. So. The concert was fine until I saw Scott and Jean together and Risty pulled me further in to the crowd. It was too much. I wanted to leave, but before I could Murphy's Law struck in the form of a girl falling on top of me and tearing off my mesh sleeve.

That was...not good.

I don't remember much the first person I bumped into—it was a guy and he was there to impress a girl and he thought she smelt like cotton candy. But it doesn't matter that I don't even remember his name, don't even remember what he looked like, because then it was another, and another, and another until finally, it was Risty.

It was Mystique.

Risty was Mystique and she had always been Mystique and she had _used me_. She had used me from the very beginning, from when I was a little girl because of some _prophecy_ and when my powers had manifested she had tricked me away from the X-Men (but I knew that already, of course I knew that, but somehow it seems…more, now) and she had almost made me _kill Scott_ and she had snuck into the mansion and stole all our files and then she impersonated the professor and locked the team in the house while putting it on self-destruct and she abandoned Kurt to save her own skin and she was my mother and my best friend.

Yeah, you read that right. Mystique is my mother. She adopted me when I was four—not as herself, not even as Raven Darkholme. I knew it as soon as I absorbed her and it was _too much_ and I couldn't think take it all in, I couldn't make it _make sense_.

It all fell apart after that. The psyches were raging and storming inside me, getting louder and louder and I couldn't face them because I was running away from what Mystique's memories had shown me. I couldn't face it then—I can barely face it now.

I was so mad. I was _so furious_.

I think that's why I manifested Sabertooth first. If anyone defines just plain, stupid rage, it's Sabertooth.

I tore up the stadium as Sabertooth until Scott shot me—and there it was again, betrayal, why is he _hurting me_ and I was buried under a wall and as Sabertooth's powers knit me back together again I did _not_ want to be hurt any more.

And then I was Juggernaut. I was invincible. Nothing was going to hurt me again and I was running out of the stadium to make sure of it.

I heard her calling after me as I ran. I just wanted to get _away_.

It wasn't long before the police had traced down Juggernaut. Some part of me knew that I could crush them, even wanted to crush them, but more than that I just wanted them to _move_.

And then I was Magneto, and I lifted the car and pushed it out of my way. I just wanted to get out of there _as fast as I could_. And then I was Pietro. And I ran.

Running was fine until I heard more sirens—and I knew they'd follow Pietro as sure as anyone else. I just wanted to get by myself, but to do that I had to be unnoticed…and the part of me that was still Mystique remembered how she had used Webber to infiltrate Cerebro and knew that he was _just_ the type of person to remain unnoticed…and the memories from Mystique got stronger and I was glaring at the cops as Webber until they drove passed and I found an alley.

I sunk to the ground against the wall and did everything I could _not_ to interact with Mystique's memories. But they were persistent.

She was my mother.

She was my best friend.

She was…she had…

I wanted to scream.

And then she was there.

"Rogue," she said. "Are you all right?"

How dare she. How _dare_ she ask me that question! How dare she even _speak_ to me, let alone in that concerned tone of voice, as if she was Storm, as if she was _Risty_, as if she actually cared!

"Get away from me!" I said.

"Please listen," she said. "I know I've hurt you. But I only posed as your friend so I could be near you."

At that point, I stopped trying to hold back. I opened myself up to her memories, I slipped into her skin—I had her now, and I was _not_ going to believe her lies again.

"Liar!" I shouted in her voice. "I know the truth! You used me to spy on the X-Men!"

"No," she said. "It's not that simple. Please don't do this."

And it wasn't that simple. But it was. She _used me_ to hurt the ones who had taken me in. What she was saying didn't matter, it didn't _matter!_ That was all there was.

"If you have my memories than you _know_ what our relationship is," she said.

And that was true. I did know. I was her dupe. I was her daughter. It didn't matter.

"I don't know _anything_," I said in my own voice because I didn't want to remember anymore. Because—for a second—it _did_ matter, and I remembered growing up with my mother and my aunt Irene and learning in my preteens that I had a 'skin disease' and had to cover up all the time, and I remembered the 'business trips' that my mother had to take and her tucking me in at night and humming me to sleep because she didn't believe that all songs needed words and she had _lied_ to me.

"Admit the truth, Rogue. I adopted you when you were four—"

"No!" I didn't want to remember. It was one thing for her to lie to me as Risty, but for my _whole life_ to have been a lie? For her to lie to me when she had patched my scraped knees and taught me mechanics because 'you never know what a woman's going to have to do on her own' and smiled so proudly at me when I shot my first gun and taught me to fry southern style chicken just right? For my whole life to have been a lie? And then, just as I began to live on my own, for her to lie to me again?

For me to _know this,_ to have known this since I touched her, and have her plead with me as if the fact that she adopted me should make a difference, should make me _listen_ to her when she had used to betray everything that I believe in? No!

Kurt was the lucky one. He got to be rid of her before he could remember her.

"Search the memories, you _are _my daughter."

I ran from her.

She called my name and I lost it.

All this time the psyches had been dancing like shadows around the flame of my anger, and when I just couldn't hold on to how I felt anymore, it was as if the shadows jumped the flame and smothered it. I was one thing and then I was another and then it was as if I was nothing at all.

It was good to be nothing. I didn't have to feel and I didn't have to think.

When Sabertooth came out to fight Wolverine I was excited along with him. I wanted to hear skin rip and taste blood.

I learned, later, that Logan figured out pretty quickly that I wasn't who I seemed to be. It didn't matter, though, because the cavalry showed up in the form of Scott blasting me through a wall.

It didn't matter. I was up and hunting for the fight again—if it _was_ me. I'm not sure. It felt so good just to give over to the emotion that was pulling at me.

I heard Scott calling for me and I came back to myself. He was asking for me. He wanted to know what was happening, how he could help—and then his psyche flashed up, full of love and concern—for Jean. And I knew, I _knew_ that if it had been Jean, he would have known, and he wouldn't have shot her.

He had _hurt_ me. And now he wanted to help? No, I didn't think so.

It felt _good_ to hit him back.

Lance agreed. His psyche rose up strong and furious—he was going to _get_ that arrogant son-of-a-bitch if it was the last thing he would ever do. He knocked a shelf over on both of them—that was more than I wanted.

My focus was back for a minute, and I used it to shove the psyche back. But as soon as I did, all of Mystique's memories came rushing back. The psyches flared up around me, stronger than ever and I knew that I couldn't get them to calm down by myself.

"Help me," I said, grabbing on to a shelf for support.

"We will, Rogue," Wolverine said. "Just stay calm."

I started to breathe again but then Scott spoke, "We're your friends."

I saw Risty. I saw how happy I had been to see her. I saw Mystique planning in the mirror just what kind of exterior would best gain my trust. I saw her smiling.

"I have no friends," I said. And then I reached out to the psyches.

I just wanted to stop hurting. I grabbed them to me, pulling them around my consciousness, my flame, like a sheath. It was as if I could reach out and do anything, _be_ anyone.

It was incredible. If I had focus…but I didn't. And as one second passed into another, the balance in my mind was overthrown. Each psyche wanted something different. And the last thing I had said was that, "I had no friends."

They seemed to be bent on making that true.

I couldn't stop it. And—I'll admit it—while I was shooting at Scott and Jean and Logan, when the Blackbird was coming straight at me, when they were all attacking me—I didn't _want_ to stop it.

It was only after Jean saved Storm from smashing into the ground after I knocked her out of the sky that I started to realize what I was doing.

Mystique had used me to hurt them.

Now I was hurting them on my own.

Part of me screamed that this was wrong, that they were my friends and I didn't want to hurt them, part of me was pointing out all the times that they had hurt _me_, that this making it so I was safe, and the rest of me was so angry that it just didn't care.

I don't think anybody but Logan could have talked me out of that. Because I _knew_ that when he said he knew what it was like for nothing to make sense, that he _meant_ it, that it was true. And he wasn't fighting me, he was just standing there, talking to me, bringing me to myself, giving me focus—_he_ wasn't fighting me, it was the voices inside my head that were fighting me, and _they_ needed to _shut-up_ and listen, because I was _not_ going to let _anyone_ push me around or use me _ever again_.

And so when Xavier rolled up and told me to help him, to let him wipe the psyches from my brain…it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Now, when I'm sitting here, writing this…it feels wrong. I feel wrong.

I'm not saying that I miss them. It's…nice not to have to worry about if my actions are _mine_ or if they're being influenced by them. But it still feels—empty.

It feels, it feels as though the inside of my brain has been scraped raw—like, have you ever eaten a cantaloupe straight out of its skin, and you're picking away with the spoon trying to get as much of the fruit as you can when suddenly you've gone _too far_ and you scrape through the skin and there's just that thin, green lining between what was supposed to be there and nothing.

And I'm not sure what to do. How to think, what to process—and all I can _do_ down here is think and sleep and try _not_ to think and endure visitors.

Kurt is so excited. Desperate, really. He tries to hide it, but he's never had anyone who was _his _in the same that a family is should have been his.

How can I tell him that the last thing I want is to have anything to do with _that woman_ and I _know_ how she's hurt him but can't he see that this…that _anything_ to do with that woman is bound to be bad, that she'd just use this against us too, that—

—I can't hurt him like that.

I hate the fact that part of him—I know it—part of him is jealous that she chose me, she _kept_ me, when she threw him away.

That's why I pretend to sleep when he comes around.

The one time I stayed awake, he called me '_meine schwester'_ and threw his arms around me and that would have _hurt_ if Kitty hadn't phased me first.

I've told him—she's _not_ my mother. But I'll never tell him that he's not my brother. Because she hurt him by denying him, and I am _not_ going to be _anything _like her—and because she hurt him maybe as deep as she hurt me—and that's enough of a bond for him to be my brother.

So. And then there's Scott who comes and I look at him and he just seems—flat. Cardboard. And it's driving me crazy because the fact that he's concerned is trumped by the fact that he's there with Jean and they're both looking at me like they're not quite sure what to do or say, as if Jean never lost control of her power, as if I hadn't had to risk my life to help her just like they risked their life to help me—and I wonder, looking at him now, with my mind completely free of Jean's influence, how much of him do I really know, really like? Because seeing him look at me with that furrow between his brows just makes me want to smack him, now.

Kitty baked me get-well cookies. Hank was kind enough to engineer an accident for them once she left. She pops in and out at random hours, and just talks to me about nothing. Sometimes she stops, and looks at me like she's going to say something serious, but I close my eyes and then she's talking about nail polish again. She doesn't stay long, and I'm glad that she comes and I'm glad that she goes.

Logan hasn't been back since I woke up. Well, that's not entirely true. I know he comes in, sometimes, just for a few seconds to see that I'm here. Then he leaves. He's waiting, ready to do something if I need him. I think part of him wants to just touch me so that I can get up out of this bed—he hates hospitals, tubes and wires. But he's giving me space to recover my way. He's letting me decide. And I think I love him for that, or I would, if I could feel anything past this gaping hole in my chest.

I can't…I can't even write to you about it. I don't know what to do, or how to feel, and I'm just trying to focus on the things that I can _deal_ with, like my powers and why they went wacky, and if it's worth touching anyone, ever again—

And as you can see, I'm doing a real great job dealing with _that_. It just feels so…

The professor says that I'm feeling fragile. He says it was the sudden extraction of the psyches. He's not talking to me about Mystique.

I'm glad. I probably couldn't right now anyway.

I still can't believe it. I have to. But I can't.

It's just so _wrong_.

I trusted her—and she used me to hurt the people who've taken me in—who are the good guys.

I _know_ that they're the good guys. And if they all don't trust me…I don't blame them.

That doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. But at this point—everything hurts.

I just need to do what I can to get it back together.

I just need to deal with what I can deal with—no one can do it for me. I know that.

So, don't worry about me, Remy. It won't do any good.

X

Rogue stopped typing. She scrolled up to the top and began to reread the email. The soft whir of the machinery attached to her and occasional beep was the only noise in the med lab. She finished reading and bit her lip, her breathing uncomfortably heavy and that hollow space inside her chest was hurting again. Her eyes narrowed and she nodded—once, before letting out a slow breath. Then she highlighted the text in the letter and pushed delete.

Her eyes still narrow, Rogue began to type again.

X

Dear Remy,

I guess by now you know what happened. My powers went out of control, and I attacked my friends and destroyed an eighth of the city.

No wonder people are afraid of mutants.

You're probably full of questions. I can answer a few of them. Yes, I'm better now. No, there's no guarantee this won't happen again. Yes, the professor has taken steps. No, we don't know why it happened. Yes, it could have been a natural evolutionary stage. No, I don't think it was. Or, if it was, I don't think that's all it was.

You see, I had just found out that the one person besides you who I trusted outside of the X-Men was Mystique in disguise. She was using me to spy on my friends, to hurt them.

It gets better. I found this out by accidentally bumping into my 'friend' at that concert. We were touching for a long time. And I found more than just the first betrayal.

Mystique was my adopted mother.

She abandoned Kurt, lied to me about the X-Men, tricked me into joining the Brotherhood, lied to the whole Brotherhood, joined with Magneto to turn us all into mutant-zombies, nearly murdered Scott and the Newbies, and kidnapped the professor. That's chronologically and off the top of my head—I'm still trying to work out all the details.

This woman has lied to me and used me since almost before I can remember. I let her get close, and she destroys everything.

It comes down to this—I thought she was my friend. She wasn't an X-Man and I trusted her.

I'm not willing to make the same mistake twice.

You're a known enemy, Remy, and I've risked too much, been hurt too much, caused enough damage with this other 'friendship.'

I'm sorry. I really am. But I can't risk it. I fold.

Don't contact me again.

—Rogue

X

She held her breath when she finished typing, and reread the email slowly. Then Rogue closed her eyes for a few pain-filled seconds before opening them and moving the mouse over to the send button. Her breath started to come in shallow little bursts and one of the monitors connected to her made a corresponding trilling noise which she disregarded as she pushed the button.

The screen displayed the words 'Message Sent,' and Rogue closed the laptop. It took more effort than it should have for her to push away the tray holding it. She let out a long, shuddering breath.

Then Rogue curled up in fetal position to make herself as small as possible as best as she could with the tubes connected to her body. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and trembled but did not cry.

* * *

AN: And so, that's that. The conversation with Rogue and Mystique was taken directly from the episode. For the record, despite the fact that the story will become more and more AU, I am still planning on following the episodes. I've been waiting to write this chapter for a _long_ time. My sincere thanks to **Eileen Blazer **who ran through the chapter for me to make sure that it made sense.  
Thank you, everyone who reviewed last chapter! I was really encouraged to see that so many of you had not forgotten this story. Don't worry--I haven't either. Right now, writing 'Dance' has priority, but I don't intend to leave you hanging here forever! I hope you were able to enjoy the chapter, despite the angst! 


	30. The Light of Certain Events

Disclaimer: Fanfiction--not owning the characters and playing with them anyway. Gotta love it.

Written place during 'Under Lock and Key'

* * *

"Don't leave me here like this  
Can't hear me scream from the abyss  
And now I wish for you my desire"  
--Falling in the Black, _Skillet_

* * *

Dear Remy,

I guess by now you know what happened. My powers went out of control, and I attacked my friends and destroyed an eighth of the city.

No wonder people are afraid of mutants.

You're probably full of questions. I can answer a few of them. Yes, I'm better now. No, there's no guarantee this won't happen again. Yes, the professor has taken steps. No, we don't know why it happened. Yes, it could have been a natural evolutionary stage. No, I don't think it was. Or, if it was, I don't think that's all it was.

You see, I had just found out that the one person besides you who I trusted outside of the X-Men was Mystique in disguise. She was using me to spy on my friends, to hurt them.

It gets better. I found this out by accidentally bumping into my 'friend' at that concert. We were touching for a long time. And I found more than just the first betrayal.

Mystique was my adopted mother.

She abandoned Kurt, lied to me about the X-Men, tricked me into joining the Brotherhood, lied to the whole Brotherhood, joined with Magneto to turn us all into mutant-zombies, nearly murdered Scott and the Newbies, and kidnapped the professor. That's chronologically and off the top of my head—I'm still trying to work out all the details.

This woman has lied to me and used me since almost before I can remember. I let her get close, and she destroys everything.

It comes down to this—I thought she was my friend. She wasn't an X-Man and I trusted her.

I'm not willing to make the same mistake twice.

You're a known enemy, Remy, and I've risked too much, been hurt too much, caused enough damage with this other 'friendship.'

I'm sorry. I really am. But I can't risk it. I fold.

Don't contact me again.

—Rogue

-

The keyboard was glowing pink. And he hadn't even noticed until it started to hum, a sure sign that the energy was getting ready to combust. Remy grimaced and fought back the urge to just rip the thing out of the computer and throw it across the room. Instead, he forced himself to calm the charged particles, reabsorbing the energy.

The instant he was no longer touching a ticking bomb, he shoved himself away from his desk so hard the chair he was on nearly toppled over. It clattered to the floor when he used the momentum to spring up and begin to pace around the bedroom of his private apartment, a low intonation of curses escaping through his lips.

He abruptly turned and marched back to his desk. Bracing himself with one hand on the desk, he leaned down and glared at the screen once again, rereading the email.

_No wonder people are afraid of mutants._

He slammed his hand down on the table and whirled around to begin pacing again.

_Mystique was my adopted mother._

Remy forced himself to stop cursing, and took a deep breath, releasing it through his clenched teeth with a drawn out hiss.

The pain she was going through was unacceptable. He already knew how Rogue felt betrayed by Mystique the first time, when she had lied to her about the X-Men. He too clearly remembered her description of the woman when Rogue had rushed out of their first 'date' to rescue that boy. 'The psycho who blew up my _house_,' she had said—and underneath that he had heard the anger and fear—but mostly, anger.

Now he knew why. Mystique hadn't just blown up her house, she had tried to murder half Rogue's teammates.

Emotions were Remy's specialty, and he didn't have to be an empath to know that for a girl as lonely and cut off as one denied all physical contact, Rogue treasured her team. Hell, she even valued the Brotherhood, and what she saw in _that_ pack of losers he'd never know.

Every word in her letter dripped with pain and it made him want tear something apart. Specifically, a certain blue-skinned, shape-shifting, mutant bitch.

But if the pain was bad, the self-incrimination he read in her letter even worse. She always wanted to protect everyone, his _chere_, and now she had been used to hurt them.

It must be tearing her up.

And from the way Xavier was treating her powers, he had no doubt that she'd be left to wallow in Mystique's betrayal, beating herself up about losing control when there was _nothing_ she could have done about it.

Remy gritted his teeth. He already knew exactly how effective Rogue's talks were with whatever shrink Xavier had brought in. Hell, he was sure he got more out of her in one afternoon than that shrink had in the weeks since Rogue's escape from Area 51.

He had the sudden urge grab her and take her away. In fact, he was moving towards the door before he knew it. Remy slammed his hand hard into the wall by the doorframe. What _was_ it about this girl that made him react without thought?

Infiltrating Xavier's mansion could be done without much effort—he had memorized the schematics long ago. He'd probably have to knock Rogue unconscious to get her to leave quietly, but that could be done as well. The fake trails he'd have to lay down in order to confuse the Wolverine would take a little more effort, but it was doable. Fooling Cerebro would be harder, but if he could steal some of that special metal from Magneto…

Escaping with her would take more preparation than just rushing out the door to grab her.

And even if he went to take her away, where would he _keep_ her?

Remy knew deep in his marrow that he would never be able to convince her to join Magneto. They'd had more than enough conversations about _that_ topic. Even if he was somehow able to convince her that Magneto was right and Xavier was wrong, she would never join with the man who had first tried to turn her into a 'super-mutant-zombie-slave,' who outed the X-Men, and was responsible for her stay in Area 51.

Come to think of it, Remy frowned, he wasn't willing to trust her to Magneto either.

She was just a kid.

And taking her home was out of the question. He was not about to give his father any leverage.

He fisted the hand still resting on the wall and slammed it into the wall once more.

"_Merde_."

_I'm sorry. I really am._

From a certain perspective, Remy could understand her decision. It still stung that she would try to end their friendship, but he knew that it was probably killing her too. If he had been interested in protecting her in the same way he had been before they met, he would have acknowledged her decision to cut him off as a smart move.

After all, she was right—he was a known enemy. She didn't know what he wanted from her. Hell, sometimes _he _didn't even know what he wanted from her. Rogue had been dealt some crummy cards and wasn't at all sure of the rules of his game, whereas he had two aces in the hole and was all too familiar with how to play.

But he no longer felt the same vaguely platonic protectiveness towards her that he had tried so hard to maintain when they were writing. She was no longer Anna, she was Rogue.

And when it came to Rogue, there were two things he wanted. The first was, of course it was the first, the continuation of the challenge she presented to him. Rogue was the first girl who had gotten to know him before she saw him, she had been warned against his tricks, and he wanted to know if he could get her anyway. She called to him by her very nature. Rogue was beautiful and untouchable and no one told a thief what he could not touch.

Second was an absolute stubborn refusal that Rogue would learn never to trust again. Something in him just recoiled at the thought, and he would not allow it. All relationships were gambles, and if he let her back out of theirs without a fight, who knew when she would ever take a risk with her heart again?

And she needed to take a risk with her heart, it was a beautiful heart, full of life and compassion and strength. If she closed herself off, she would slowly begin to die, and he'd be damned if he allowed that to happen to her the way it had happened to him.

_Don't contact me again._

No, there was no way he was going to let her fold that easily.

Remy turned away from the door and walked over to his bed. He sunk down on it, crossing his hands behind his head in studied casualness.

Rogue didn't want him contacting her. Despite the pang in his chest that thought caused him, the sides of his mouth tilted in an ironic smile. She didn't want him to talk to her, but she hadn't tried to end their 'friendship,' either. This was no "From now on you're dead to me," or "I've never known you."

So it wasn't as if she never wanted to see him again—he knew what that sounded like and there sure weren't any apologies involved. She was just doing what she thought was necessary to protect herself. Rogue didn't trust him.

She was right not to trust him. He had told her as much, and he _was_ her enemy. Technically.

But he didn't want to hurt her. And if he followed that line of logic through, then the smart thing to do would be to listen to her request and stay away from the girl.

Remy turned around on the bed, flopping down on his stomach with a small groan. He didn't _want_ to stay away from her. That was the problem.

"She's a big girl," he muttered. And the fact that she had told him to stay away only added to the challenge. There was just no way he could resist this temptation.

So he had to work out a way for her to trust him enough to talk with him again. Well, the first part of that was simple—he'd do as she said.

He didn't _want_ to stay away, especially since he knew she was hurting, but he would show Rogue that she could trust him to do as she asked.

Remy frowned and moved to sit up. Listening to a woman when she told you to 'Go away,' was always a tricky thing—ignore her and you're too pushy, listen to her and you don't care. But in this case…he was almost certain that listening to her was the right thing to do.

No, he wouldn't contact her. Provoke her into contacting _him_, however…that was another story.

XxX

The worst thing about being confined to Med Lab was not the smell, although the constant scent of disinfectant and starch was irritating Rogue had gotten used to it after the first few hours. It wasn't the fact that only now was she starting to be allowed out of bed for supervised exercises and bathroom runs—no, she did not miss the catheter at all. It wasn't even the all encompassing boredom.

No, the worst part about being confined to Med Lab was being the last person in the mansion to know _anything_.

"Wait a minute, Kitty," Rogue said. "Did ya say Warren Worthington was here?"

"Like, hours ago," Kitty flipped her and started to gush, "and he's so hot. Did you know," she leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially, "he has wings? You should have seen him, when he dove down into the yard. It was so cool! He's such an angel!"

"Ah do seem to remember something about wings," Rogue said dryly. "We met last Christmas, remember Kitty?"

Kitty straightened up, "Yeah, but you didn't tell me he was so hot! How could you leave out the important part?"

"It must have slipped my mind, what with the whole Magneto trying to extort him thing. Speaking of which," Rogue pushed herself up on her elbows to better glare at her roommate, "why was Warren here?"

"Ooo, 'Warren,' is it?" Kitty teased before sobering, "he said that someone had broken in and stolen an artifact from his museum. He managed to track the thief down and caught up with them just as the thief was handing the goods to this 'freaky looking man with tattoos on his face.' _Warren_," she trilled on the name a little.

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"tried to stop him, but was blasted back with some psychic powers. Of course, when the professor heard that he got that _look_. You know the look I mean. And then they headed off with Beast to the computer room to talk. They're still in there."

Rogue nodded.

"I have a feeling we're going to be headed out pretty soon. I mean, psychic monkey tattoo boy? That's gotta be Mesmero. And since Warren was saying that the thief blew up the museum without the use of any explosive, and described the guy as having glowing eyes, I think it was Gambit. Which means Magneto's involved with this too, and there's no way the professor is just going to let that go."

Rogue felt something tighten in her throat, and she dropped back on to the pillows supporting her head, shifting her gaze away from Kitty. "You think Magneto's involved with Mesmero now?"

"How do I know what's going on inside that buckethead? But like, Magneto doesn't seem to be the kind of psycho who'd take orders from anyone. For all we know Mesmero could be using Gambit the same way he used Jean."

Rogue picked a stray thread on her blanket. "Yeah."

Kitty reached a hand over to her, but Rogue instantly recoiled.

"Sorry," Kitty said softly.

Rogue didn't say anything, she just shifted further back into the pillows.

Kitty stared at Rogue like she wanted to say something, but then sighed. "I'm gonna go see what's going on upstairs. Rest up, OK?"

"Be careful," Rogue didn't meet her eyes as she spoke, instead she stared at some vague point directly across from her bed.

Kitty flashed Rogue a grin, "No problem!" Then she phased out of the chair and left the med lab.

Rogue swallowed, and reached one hand out to grab the cup from the bedside table. She put the straw to her lips and took a concentrated slurp. They still had her on Gatorade. She barely had the energy to put the cup back on the table.

Her head felt like there were a million elephants in a marching band trumpeting around her temples, and her arms were limp like wet noodles. She had barely enough energy to concentrate on what Kitty was saying, and now that she was gone, Rogue allowed her exhaustion to catch up with her.

It was better than thinking about Remy, and the mess he had landed himself in.

Rogue closed her eyes. She was so tired of sleeping. But her body was too weak to let her do much of anything else.

And moments later, she had drifted off again.

XxX

When Rogue opened her eyes, it took her a moment to fight back the bout of nausea and become aware of her surroundings. She was still lying in the hospital bed, the surrounding curtains were still that horrid shade of puke yellow, and her head still hurt.

She was beginning to regret turning down the morphine drip.

It was so quiet in the med lab she could hear the distinct whirring of all the machinery surrounding her. She frowned and pushed the button on the bed that propped her into a sitting position. At least she was still free from the IV.

After Area 51, she thought her _distaste _for them rated consideration beyond a phobia, and Beast had been very understanding when she had tried to claw the needle out of her arm the first time she saw it. Very understanding and very firm that until her vitals had stabilized, the needle was staying exactly where it was.

Which was one of the reasons why she had turned down the morphine drip, she didn't want to have to deal with the needles any more than she positively had to. And she was tired of things messing with her head.

Rogue felt like something had crawled into her throat and died, so she reached over for half-full cup of Gatorade beside her bed. It was tepid and dusty, but better than nothing. She glanced at the clock against the wall—8:40. Grimacing, Rogue hoped that she hadn't slept through til morning.

There were two ways to find out: call somebody and risk not being able to get rid of them, or turn on her laptop.

She hadn't turned on her laptop since she had written Remy.

Something tightened in the back of her throat at the thought, and she had to swallow back another moment of nausea. The pounding in her head increased and her vision blurred.

Rogue closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. When she opened them, she reached over to the table again and grabbed the small cocktail of pills Beast must have left for her sometime during her sleep. She recognized the vitamins and the half a vicodin placed in a small paper cup.

With a sigh, she reached for the Gatorade again and proceeded to painstakingly swallow her pills.

Someone had been considerate enough to leave her with some dry crackers in easy reach and even though eating was the last thing she wanted to do, Rogue knew that if she didn't have something with the vicodin she'd feel a lot worse before she felt better.

She forced the first cracker down her throat before realizing that she was a lot hungrier than she had thought. In short order, the entire roll of Ritz crackers had disappeared. Still hungry, but unwilling to deal with anyone while in so much pain, Rogue nestled back into the pillows and closed her eyes.

As she waited for the pain to pass, Rogue decided that it didn't really matter if it was day or night. _It's not as if I can do more than lie here and try not to think, anyway._

Despite her best efforts, her thoughts kept making the same rounds over and over again. She kept examining her every interaction with Risty—it was still too painful to go over her memories of her 'mother,' but that didn't stop her stupid, treacherous mind from going there. She couldn't stop herself from picking through each memory with the knowledge that it was never Risty, it was never her mother—it was Mystique.

Rogue couldn't think beyond the woman's identity. Mystique. She was still having a hard time qualifying what it meant, understanding the depth of the deception she had believed.

Why could Mystique have possibly wanted to _do_ that to her? Why did she—she was her _mother_. And then to befriend her when Mystique _knew_ how much it would hurt if that friendship was torn away—

Rogue felt black and blue on the inside. All raw and ripped open and hurting.

The 'why' was killing her. Why did Mystique have to betray her like that, use her like that, always, since the beginning?

The term Beast had used when he thought she was unconscious helped. A little. When she could hold on to it. "Psychopath."

Psychopath. "a condition characterized by lack of empathy or conscience, and poor impulse control or manipulative behavior; lacking a sense of guilt or remorse for any harm they may have caused others, instead rationalizing the behavior, blaming someone else or denying it outright."

"_I know I've hurt you. But I only posed as your friend so I could be near you."_

"_It's not that simple. Please don't do this."_

Manipulative, blame-shifting, no sense of guilt? That sounded about right.

So 'why' was the wrong question. Mystique's actions hadn't been personal. She was a psychopath. She hurt everyone she touched. It wasn't personal.

But it sure _felt_ personal. And Rogue couldn't help running back through her memories, thinking that she should have _known_.

So she was furious, and helpless, and that's when she wasn't thinking about what she had done to Remy.

Remy, who according to Kitty, had either just stolen willingly from Warren or had been taken over by Mesmero…

She cringed at the thought of him being 'taken over.'

It had taken Jean weeks to stop jumping at shadows. Jean was a powerful telepath, and the fact that someone could just reach in and take control of her brain had petrified her. Sure, she hid it well, but Rogue had experienced Jean enough times know better.

It was so strange not to have Jean's psyche push to the front of her mind at the thought. The lack of sensation made Rogue's head hurt again, and she groaned and turned her head to the side.

The automated swish of the Med Lab's doors was barely enough incentive for her to crack open one eye.

"Are you awake, _meine schwester'_" Kurt's non-whisper caused her to clench her teeth.

"Dang it all, Kurt. Ah asked ya not to call me that."

"_Ja_, but you didn't mean it," he baffed to the foot of her bed as Rogue rolled onto her back to meet his gaze. "I brought food."

Her stomach grumbled and she offered him a half-smile.

He broke out into a grin so wide it bore his fangs and immediately moved to position the tray onto the sliding table by her bed.

He was so damn _excited_ it made her lungs tight.

"Amara ordered tortilla soup. She thought it vould be nice to add a little spice to your soup-diet."

"Yee-haw."

Kurt ducked his mouth close by her ear and spoke in a stage-whisper, "And because I am your vonderful brother, I also managed to steal you—this!"

And he held a half a sandwich of sliced focaccia bread and steaming chicken and cheese.

"Mah hero," Rogue drawled with a small smile. "Thank you, Kurt."

"You are velcome!" He settled himself on to the foot of her bed while Rogue adjusted the bed further into a sitting position and began to eat.

Having him stare at her with that wide-eyed hopeful look while she ate was making her uncomfortable. Rogue couldn't believe that she almost missed the days where she had a hard time making him shut-up.

_Whatever it is you're hoping for, Ah'm not it, Kurt. Just please—stop._

Rogue stared down at her soup and swallowed back the sudden tightness of her throat. "When Kitty was in here earlier, she mentioned something about a mission. What happened with that?"

She'd put up with the noise if he would just stop looking at her like that.

"Vell, you know, I didn't go vith them. But Kitty told me a little bit about it. They are on their way back from London now, in the X-Jet."

"Wait a minute—Ah thought that Gambit stole something from Warren's museum in New York—why did they go to London?"

"The Professor figured out that the Spiderstone was the first half of another of those keys Mesmero had Jean steal. When Angel told them that the other half of the stone was in the British Museum, it vas the X-Men to the rescue!"

"An' why didn't ya go with them, O Fearless Fuzzy One?" Rogue asked over the slurp of her soup.

Kurt puffed out his chest, "Someone had to stay here and vatch over the kids!"

Rogue fell back against the pillows. "Oh Gawd. The mansion's exploded again, hasn't it."

"Hey! The mansion is perfectly fine! They won't miss that one old vase, anyway."

Rogue groaned, "The real ugly one in the south hall?"

"_Ja_."

She decided not to mention that the last time anyone had made a vase that ugly was in the Ming dynasty.

"Besides," Kurt said, suddenly serious, "I told you I vasn't leaving you alone, Rogue."

Rogue dropped his gaze. She started picking at the hem of one of her gloves. "Any word from Wolverine or Storm?"

"Not yet. But they'll find her, Rogue."

Kurt baffed to the side of the bed, so that Rogue had to look at him. "And vhen they find her," he continued, "we'll face her together."

Rogue closed her eyes. "Kurt. Ah know ya have questions for her. But believe me, nothing good is gonna come of asking them. There are some things—some people—we're just better off not knowing."

"Ve'll see. She at least deserves the chance to explain herself. She is our mother."

"Kurt," Rogue's throat closed up and she resisted the urge to scream, to overturn the tray on her bedside and storm from the room, yelling all the while. She was still too weak, she'd fall flat on her face, and she knew it. And it was all Mystique's fault.

She wished she could somehow find a way to make Kurt understand that anything having to do with that woman was bound to end badly. But she knew that anything she could say—"She's the monster," "That woman is evil," "The best thing she ever did for you was drop you off that waterfall"—he wouldn't be able to hear.

So instead, she said the one thing she could say. "She's not my mother."

Kurt sighed. "Ve'll talk more about this vhen you are feeling better."

Her hands clenched into fists. She wanted to fight it, but she was just so tired. And finding out what had happened with Remy was more important right now. "Fine. So what happened in London?"

"Kitty said that vhen they got to the museum, Magneto vas already there. They vere fighting, but Magneto got away. He started to fight vith Mesmero, and something happened. The stone got away and joined with the other Spiderstone. And vhen it did, Kitty said it turned into this _huge_ monster!"

"A monster."

Kurt nodded eagerly, "Kitty said it vas at least the size of the mansion! And guess vhat it looked like!"

Rogue raised her eyebrows, "A spider."

Kurt visibly deflated, "Aw, how'd you guess?"

Rogue rolled her eyes, "My lucky night, Ah guess. So what happened next?"

"Vell, the _giant spider_," he paused for a second to check Rogue's face for any sign of a girl's normal reaction to the idea, only to continue on disappointed, "burst out through the museum and into the streets of London! Magneto tells the Acolytes to 'destroy it, no matter vhat it takes!' but our heroic professor protests, 'Vait, Magnus! Ve don't know vhat the spider is doing yet!'"

"Have ya been watching late night reruns of the Justice League again?"

"Do you vant to know vhat happened or not?"

"Eesh, sorry."

"So the Acolytes go after the Spider! Colossus, Sabertooth, and Pyro all try to stop it, but no von can! The Spider runs all over them and just keeps going towards its mysterious destination. Vhile the Acolytes are down, the gallant X-Men leap into action! They try to slow the Spider down, but to no avail! Things looked grim for our heroes—vhat?"

"Ah'm so telling Scott ya called him 'gallant.'"

"It vas creative license! And now you made me lose my place."

"'Things looked grim for our heroes,'" Rogue prompted.

"Right. Things looked grim for our heroes—the Spider had escaped into Leicester Square! Vas it going to make like Godzilla and trash the town? Vhat vere our heroes to do?

"Suddenly, trouble approached them from a new corner—someone vas driving a bus through the crowd, straight into the Spider! The bus crashed into the spider, entangling its legs and forcing the Spider to the ground. Rising out of the bus vas one of the Acolytes—Gambit. Vithout calling out a warning, he charged the bus and jumped clear. There vas a massive explosion, but still the Spider vas not dead!"

"That must've ticked him off," Rogue muttered.

"Eh? Vhat vas that?"

"Nothing, nothing. What happened next?"

"Vell, the explosion managed to slow the Spider down long enough for Magneto catch up to them. Using all of his power, the Master of Magnetism manages to squish the Spider, despite the warnings of the professor to stop! Magneto shatters the Spiderstone and slumps to the ground in exhaustion."

"'Slumps to the ground in exhaustion?' As if Magneto would ever lower himself to 'slump.' It was more of a…deliberate relaxing of his shoulders."

"Kitty! Vhen did you get back?"

Shutting the door to the Med Lab behind her, Kitty gave an elaborate stretch and a small squeak. "Just now. I wanted to check in before I hit the showers."

Rogue scanned her friend quickly from head to foot. It didn't look like she was hurt, and no one was being rushed into the Med Lab behind her. She felt something ease in her chest when she realized that everyone was alright. "Ah'm honored."

Kitty nodded sharply, "You should be. After all, hearing that Magneto just destroyed the guardian to the second key takes a lot out of a girl. I should be—"

"Wait—_what_?"

Kurt tsked, "Kitty, you spoiled the end of the story."

Kitty threw up her hands in exasperation, "Like, fine! But this is the last time I try to deliver a message from an Acolyte to _you_, Rogue!"

"Vhat! Vhy vould you be delivering a message from one of ze _Acolytes_ to _meine schwester_"

Rogue felt her headache return with a sudden rush of pressure behind her eyes. She closed them and lifted up one hand to lightly message her eyes while she spoke in a dangerously soft tone. "Kurt. Stop yelling. Kitty. Sit down and explain—_what_ guardian and _what_ Acolyte."

She didn't open her eyes until she felt the other side of the bed dip with Kitty's presence. The girl looked appropriately apologetic, but that did not stop the slow seethe building up inside of her. If he had dared try to contact her through Kitty…

"While we were trying to slow down the spider, Professor X managed to catch Mesmero in a psychic headlock. He found out that the Spider was actually a guardian created to help stop the return of Apocalypse. Mesmero had been playing Magneto the whole time, using one of his Aco-lackeys to make him mad enough to destroy the thing. It worked."

"And so now ve are one step closer to the end of the vorld," despite his serious words, Rogue could still hear the humor in Kurt's tone. She joined Kitty in glaring at him.

"Vhat!" He held up his hands defensively, "At least it's not boring! I mean, c'mon, giant monsters, mysterious keys, the end of the vorld! You've got to admit that's kind of cool!"

Kitty covered her eyes with her hand, "I can't believe I know you."

"And _I_ can't believe that you vould pass on a message from an Acolyte to _my sister_! Vithout telling me first!"

"Like, why would I tell _you_! It's not any of your business!"

"It is too—"

"Kurt. Kitty. Yelling."

Exchanging guilty glances, they chorused, "Sorry."

"So help me, if ya two don't quiet down, Ah _will_ kill both of ya. Massive injuries or not."

"Would you like us to leave and come back later?"

"Do you need me to get Dr. McCoy?"

Glaring at both of them, Rogue was pleased to see them stop glaring at each other and focus on the fact that she was running out of patience. "Ah would _like_ ya to tell me _what_ Acolyte gave ya a 'message' for me and _why_ ya felt it was important enough to skip your shower."

Recovering far too quickly for Rogue's taste, Kitty flipped ponytail behind her shoulder, "Like, obviously it's important. He's an _Acolyte_ expressing concern for—"

"Kitty. Which. Acolyte."

"And vhat did he say?"

"Kurt—not helping," Rogue moved her head to direct her glare at him a little too quickly and light and dark spots exploded behind her eyes with a reemergence of pain so vivid she almost cried out. Instead, she closed her eyes with a sharp hiss and clenched the blankets.

"Rogue!" She felt Kitty jump off the bed and rush to her side. "Are you all right?"

Eyes still closed, Rogue lifted one hand in a warding motion, "Just…stop being so loud and tell me what happened. Then let me get back to sleep."

"I'm sorry, Rogue. It was Gambit."

Rogue hoped her sharp intake of breath was covered by the fact that she was in pain. She decided that it would be a good idea to start regulating her breathing, just in case anything Kitty said provoked a more extreme reaction.

"And it wasn't a message, exactly. He just asked me where you were. I told him it was none of his business. And he said that he hoped he'd see you again soon. That's all."

Rogue continued her controlled breathing. "That's it?"

"Yeah. I am sorry, I just…" her voice trailed off and then became very small. "I just wanted to give you something else to think about. Besides her."

Damn. Damn, damnable damn.

Rogue forced herself to open her eyes and meet Kitty's sincere gaze. "Ah get it, Kit. Thanks."

Kitty swallowed and nodded, her eyes wide and sincere.

"Get some sleep, _meine schwester_. Ve vill see you tomorrow," Kurt said as he cleared away her abandoned dinner dishes.

"Feel better," Kitty said as she followed Kurt towards the door.

Rogue managed a weak wave in their direction before closing her eyes again.

They hadn't taken two steps away from her bed before Kitty started too-loud whispering, "Like, how long have you been down here with her! She looks totally exhausted—worse than when we left! Did you forget what Dr. McCoy said about the fifteen minute visit—"

_Baf_.

The sound of Kitty's coughing between threats was the last thing she heard before Rogue was once again left alone in the Med Lab.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank everyone who encouraged me to continue this story. Your continued appreciation (and kind death threats) helped me hunker down and hunt my X-Men muses, which had gone off somewhere in Africa. I netted this one, and am still in search of Dance!Remy. But I have confidence that I'll pin them both down eventually. There are 13 more episodes in the show, I do not anticipate it taking much more than 15 chapters to wrap this and the after-story up. I'm going to try to shoot for giving you a chapter a month. Here's hoping!  
Again, thanks very much for the continued encouragement. It means a lot! 


	31. Waiting for the Tape to Change

Disclaimer:

Filling in the spaces between _Cruise Control_ and _X23_

* * *

"Your absence has gone through me  
Like thread through a needle  
Everything I do is stitched with your color"  
'Separation,' W.S. Merwin

* * *

This headache, Rogue decided, was getting really old. Even though the mansion was, for once, genuinely quiet, the silence wasn't helping the throbbing in her temples. Even Kitty and Kurt had left on the cruise. They had felt bad leaving her behind, Kurt had even made self-sacrificing noises about staying behind to keep her company if she 'really felt that she vas too veak to go,' but Rogue had managed to convince him to go anyway. It might have had something to do with throwing up on him before he had been able to BAF away. Well, she had warned him that she wasn't faking it, she really did feel sick. 

Part of her was relieved that she had this convenient excuse to miss what she could only imagine as a torture session—standing fully covered from head to toe in the Caribbean, watching everyone else have fun…and part of her was still simmering angrily about the whole thing. How could the professor have chartered such a 'vacation,' where she would have been so miserable?

But then she took a deep breath and forced herself to look around. She owed the professor a lot. She was still as weak as a newborn kitten, she couldn't stand bright lights or loud noises…Rogue didn't want to think about where she'd be if she didn't have anyone to take care of her after this whole mess. And after rejecting Mystique and Remy…the X-Men were pretty much all she had left.

She was a bit surprised that after the whole 'end of the world, opening of the second key' thing that the professor still thought it was a good idea to send his X-Men halfway around the world, but he and Beast had been holed up in the library for days now. She had only seen Beast when he came in to test her vitals, set her up on the machines that would contract her muscles, and drop off her food. And lately Beast hadn't been very good company, he had been muttering under his breath the whole time he was in the med lab…Rogue guessed that they were working hard on something and wanted the kids out of the way.

So, when she wasn't feeling relieved, or bitter, or desperate, or grateful, or lonely, she was feeling tired. Even her bones ached. She was stubbornly sticking with the physical therapy routine Beast had prescribed for her, but it was _hard_ to get up and walk around the room when sitting up made everything spin and she could feel the blood pounding in her temples and the aching, scraped thin, _emptiness_ of her subconscious.

And when she wasn't forcing herself to move or eat, she was sleeping. Rogue had never been so _sick_ of sleeping. She supposed her body needed to recover from the 'physical, emotional, and psychic trauma' and now that no one was coming in to disturb her rest, it was taking advantage of the time to sleep. Although one small, cynical, and broken part of her wondered each time Beast came in with food, 'If I didn't eat this, would I still be as tired?' Rogue was terrified to find out, and so she ignored the possibility and made certain to eat every last bit of her food.

When she wasn't sleeping she had a few moments of aching mental clarity to be bored. She knew if she moved she'd exhaust herself and so she'd stare up and count the motes on the tiles. So far each tile had a mean of 97 motes. There were seventy-three tiles down and four hundred twenty-eight tiles across the ceiling, so, in theory, Rogue knew she could figure out the number of motes without counting. But she blanched at the thought of multiplying seventy-three and four hundred twenty-eight, so she went back to counting again.

It was better than thinking about Remy. She _missed_ him. She missed his paranoid suggestions, his blustering protection, even his dirty jokes. She missed teasing him and making him laugh. She missed the edge of danger that she got from being with him—it was one thing to have him as a penpal, but Gambit in the flesh was even more exhilarating. You never knew what was going to happen next when you were with him…one thing about being around Remy LeBeau—you were never bored.

But she couldn't write him again just because she was bored. She wasn't willing to jerk him around like that—she had meant what she said.

So what if some part of her _wished_ he hadn't let her go so easily. She should be glad that he respected her enough to leave her alone.

Yeah. Glad.

Rogue groaned and shifted back and forth on the bed. She had done the right thing. She _knew_ it. She could not risk her place with the X-Men, she couldn't risk endangering them like she had again. It was one thing when she hadn't known, when she hadn't been in control, but to willingly be in a relationship with someone working for Magneto? No. That was inexcusable. She couldn't risk it.

But that didn't mean that she was happy with her decision.

The door to the med lab slid open, and Rogue propped herself up on one elbow so she could see Wolverine enter. He glanced around the room even as he made his way over to her bed. He was always skittish around hospitals.

"Hey, kid."

"Logan. What are ya doing in here?"

He took an exaggerated sniff and made a face, crunching around the cigar she never actually saw him _smoke_ before he answered. "It stinks in here."

Rogue gave a grunt of ascent, "Not much Ah can do about it."

"You could leave."

"Yeah, Ah'll just up and walk out. Why didn't Ah think of that sooner!" Rogue flopped back on the bed and watched him come parallel to her out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll give you a hand up," Wolverine said, his voice curiously even as he held his bare hand out to her.

She followed his eyes to her gloves on the table beside her bed and caught his nearly imperceptible nod and suddenly Rogue couldn't breathe. Her brain was swimming with what he was offering her—willingly allowing himself to get drained so she could get out of the med lab.

She almost took it without thinking. Was this really what she wanted? Her head was finally _hers_ again, was taking in another psyche best for her?

"The professor…said he thought Ah needed ta heal…naturally."

She was unaware that she was staring at his hand like it a slavering wolf stared at a fresh cut of beef.

"It seems to me," Logan said, his voice still that strange, flat tone, "that usin' your powers _is_ the natural way to heal."

Rogue swallowed. She _wanted_ to take his hand. She could almost feel the fresh rush of power surging through her, giving strength to her body and replacing that raw, scraped feeling in her mind. She wanted to take Wolverine's power. She wanted to take it so much, it terrified her.

She forced herself to look away from his hand and into his eyes. "Thanks, Logan. But this is something Ah need ta get through by myself. And if Ah take your hand…Ah'm not sure what will happen."

"You're going to have to find out sometime, Stripes," but Logan shoved his hand in his pocket. "If you change your mind, I'll be around. Just think of all the extra training we could get in with everyone else out of the way."

Rogue tucked her hands under the covers, "When ya put it _that_ way, suddenly staying in my bed doesn't seem so bad."

Logan laughed, a raspy chuckle that filled the room. "D'ya need anything? Videos, books, deck of cards?"

Rogue twitched a little at the mention of cards, but Logan didn't seem to notice. "Ah guess…if you're that bored an' all…Ah could play a card game or so?"

Logan reached into his pocket and took out a fresh deck of cards. They were a plain Bicycle brand, nothing should have made the hairs of the back of her neck stand up, and yet…

"Look at ya, carryin' around a fresh deck of cards like a professional."

Logan looked up from where he was wrestling with the cellophane wrapping to meet Rogue's (hopefully) innocuous gaze, "They were on your bed when I was making rounds. It's what gave me the idea to bring 'em down. Don't suppose you know how to play poker?"

Rogue had to fight back a hot flush of seething anger. She didn't keep fresh cards like that. But she knew a certain mutant who did. And he had been _in her bedroom_. But how had Wolverine not smelt him…

Logan was looking at her with shrewd eyes, and she shook herself to respond to the question, "Ah know the basics. Maybe ya could teach me?"

"Well, I only play every once in a while," Logan said as he finally freed the cards from the cellophane and loaded them into one hand to begin to shuffle in a way so awkward it was obviously practiced. "But I think I remember enough for us to muck our way through a game."

Rogue began arranging the pillows behind her so she could sit up straight, "It's worth a shot."

"All right, this is 5 card stud…"

X

Philosophically speaking, meeting X23 reminded Rogue that no matter how bad it was, some people always had it worse. After all, she had only been in Area 51 for a week, X had been dealing with that sort of experimentation since she was cloned. From Logan. Which made her like a mini-girl-Logan and Rogue was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Wolverine had like…a _daughter_.

It hurt her head to think about it, but fortunately the throbbing in her temples was pretty much completely faded and the scraped raw feeling was now happily filled with Ray and Scott who were (not surprisingly) arguing in that area of her mind. The fact that the psyches were back and filling her head like the constant noise of a staticy radio made her feel more...balanced was not half as disturbing as the way she had been forced to acquire them.

She had been used as a weapon against her friends. Again. And while neither Ray or Scott blamed her—after all, she'd been in med lab for almost a month, she couldn't be expected to be on top of her game—they were still giving her plenty of space. Rogue didn't think they were even conscious of it, and somehow that made it worse.

She got up off the bed—her bed—and began to pace around her room. There was no visible of Gambit anywhere, but she knew he had been there. It was in the way everything was still so _exactly_ where she had left it. She knew that Kitty had been in and out of her room at least a dozen times while she had been in med lab, and yet everything was still neat. If that wasn't a tell, she didn't know what was.

It was typical. He was doing what she asked. He hadn't contacted her. He had just made it impossible for her to get away from the fact that he could have contacted her at any time, but he was choosing not to. He was giving her space, but he wasn't saying goodbye.

And that was something that just really wasn't worth thinking about, because she couldn't decide if she was flattered or furious.

The chattering inside her head grew more distinct as her emotions rose and Rogue took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. It seemed that her newly acquired male psyches had very definite opinions about Gambit's presence in her life that they wished to express. Rogue half-seriously considered absorbing Kitty and Amara just to balance out, before rejecting the idea.

She needed to make up her own mind.

Which she had already done, _damn_ it.

"Ah am _not_ contacting him again. Ah don't care." She whirled away from the door and walked towards the balcony. Sliding the window-door open, Rogue stepped out onto the narrow platform and crossed her arms over her chest. There was a cool wind rustling through the trees and she inhaled the sharp, clear air.

It was time to move on. The X-Men were her family now, even if it was a strange, readily expanding sort of family. Even if it was a family full of secrets. Even if certain members of the family were too afraid to stand near her...

But hey, what family was perfect?

She was doing the right thing. She was protecting them.

There was a knock on her door. Rogue turned around, calling "Come in," even as something caught the corner of her eye. It looked like there was something wedged into the plastic molding which sealed the sliding door.

Before she had a chance to inspect it closer, Kitty phased through the door. "Hey, Rogue, whatcha doing out there?"

"Just gettin' some fresh air. What's up?"

"Since this is, like, your first full day out of med lab, Kurt and I thought we'd throw a little party. We rented two seasons of Mystery Science Theater and picked up a bunch of cheese doodles. I even baked a cake! Kurt's staked out prime spots in the common room and is, like, defending the DVD rights with his life. So…do you want to come down?"

Rogue fought back an entirely unexpected and unwanted rush of tears. This _was_ her family. She _would_ protect them. "Yeah. Just let me touch up my make up and Ah'll be right down."

Kitty grinned, "Sweet," and phased through the floor, waving at Rogue while she was sunk halfway through. "See you down there!"

Rogue walked over to the mirror to check on her face and counted slowly to fifteen. When she was certain that no one was going to just pop in on her, she walked back over to the balcony door and examined the sealing. There was a small bump about midway between floor and ceiling and when she bet to examine it she saw that it was the very faintest edge of the tip of a playing card.

Rogue cussed through her teeth as she began to prod the card out of the wall. The friction kept it stuck to the wall and she had to wiggling it up and down before managing to get enough it out so she could get a solid grip on it. Once she had it firmly in her hand, she was able to pull it out.

Exasperated, Rogue flipped the card over to see a joker's face winking up at her.

"Oh, ha, ha, Remy." She sighed and stared at it before crumbling it casually in her hand.

Her jaw set, Rogue turned to leave her room and throw the card out on the way.

But somehow…the crumpled up card ended up in her pocket instead. And as she sat and laughed with Kitty and Kurt and Joel, Tom, and Crow, the knowledge that it was there was strangely warming.

* * *

AN: OK, wow, this was the Transitional Chapter of Doom. Following the Month of Doom, I suppose that only makes sense. I'm sorry this is so short, but at least it's done, out of the way, finished. And you all know what's coming next. That's right, Dark Horizons. Wonder how our heroes will react to Certain Events that goes on in them there mess. I'm really looking forward to writing some of that live-action. Thank you all so much for your reviews! They really help me keep this story going. 


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